Looks Like We Made It
by lilgulie5
Summary: Future Fic. This is a sequel to "Just Let Me Try" and "We Can Do This" set 5-6 years after Quinn and Puck graduate high school. Follow them as they embark on a new phase of their lives with their family and friends. Chapter 9 is up (finally!)!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Welcome to Chapter 1! Just to let everyone know, this is set about 5 years after Quinn and Puck graduate high school and they're about 23-24 years old. I don't want to give much more away because most of it will be explained in this chapter or subsequent ones. I will be eventually finishing up We Can Do This but I just wanted a change of pace for a while. This will be a full length story like JLMT and WCDT since this is the final sequel in that "trilogy". I hope you enjoy! Xoxo-Katie**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee**

Quinn sat by herself at the kitchen table and absentmindedly twirled a lock of her shoulder length hair around her finger as she gazed around at the boxes and packing materials strewn about the countertops. Despite all of the handwork that lay behind and ahead of them, she really wasn't sad to leave the apartment.

The last place that had actually been difficult to leave had been Puck's house. So much had happened there in their little basement apartment that he made for them. It was one of the ways in which he proved to her that she was right to let him try to be the man she needed him to be. It was where they first told one another that they loved each other. It was where they brought Beth home to and realized that, together, they could do this; they could make it work and for seven years, they had. Yes, despite being able to get out of Lima for a few years during college, that had been the hardest place to leave.

When they had moved back home after she graduated with her degree in English education and he completed his police training at Ohio State they knew the small two-bedroom apartment they moved into would just be temporary. Now, within a matter of days they would have their _own_ home for the first time ever. For years, home had been where the heart was and Quinn was a firm believer in that mantra but there was still something intangibly appealing about having a house they could call their own.

Finishing her glass of orange juice and placing it in the sink, Quinn decided it was time to go make sure Beth was actually brushing her teeth and making her bed like she had been asked to do so that they could leave and begin their day.

XXXXX

With a smile on her face, Quinn walked into her classroom for the first time since summer vacation began in early June. The sweltering August sun blazed in through the windows despite the fact that the air conditioning was on. She flipped on the light switch and adjusted the thermostat to make it several degrees cooler. There was no way she would be able to unpack boxes and put up decorations if she was uncomfortably hot the entire time.

"Mommy, it's hot in here," the little girl holding her hand whined.

"I know B-Bug, it'll get better soon. Here, let's pull your hair up," Quinn replied as she sat down at her desk and began pulling her daughter's light brown hair into a ponytail. "There, is that OK?"

"Yup! Now we match! You have a ponytail and I have a ponytail!"

"Are you ready to get to work?"

"Uh huh."

"Good. While I go through these boxes I want you to take this dust rag and wipe off the desks. Can you do that? Don't forget, we're meeting your daddy for lunch in a couple of hours. "

"Yeah! Can we go to McDonalds? I wanna go to McDonalds, but only the one with the slide!"

"We'll see," Quinn smiled as she handed the rag to Beth and the seven year old skipped to begin her task.

She knew that she would probably have to redo them all the next day with actual surface cleaner, but Beth had begged her to come and help that day so the least she could do was give her something easy to do. This would be Quinn's second year of teaching Honors English for Sophomores and Seniors at McKinley High and well as her first year as an assistant coach of the Cheerios. That position had virtually fallen into her lap. After graduating college she was surprised to be hired so quickly at her old high school and she was ecstatic to be doing what she actually wanted to do. No more than two weeks after school had let out for the summer, Principal Figgins (yes, he was _still_ there) had called her at home to ask her if she would be willing to help coach for the Cheerios.

"What happened to Miss Reeder?" she had asked.

"She has decided to give up her position because of differences between herself and Coach Sylvester."

"That's not really surprising," Quinn chuckled. "Have you talked to Sue about it?"

"Yes and she said, and these are her words and not mine, that even though you were weak and quit the squad in your prime, you are the only person she will accept as the coach."

"I don't know Principal Figgins, I-."

"Please, it would make it much easier for us to hire internally instead of having to look outside of the school and there would also be a slight wage increase."

Money was a hard thing to say "no" to so in the end, despite her reservations, Quinn agreed to coach the Junior Varsity Cheerios.

Looking up from the box of books she was sorting through, Quinn saw her daughter diligently dusting off all of the desktops and chairs. _Maybe I won't have to redo them myself after all,_ she thought. She couldn't believe her little girl was going to be in second grade. Beth was smart for her age, always getting high marks on her tests and report cards. Unfortunately, because she caught onto the lessons so quickly, she also had a habit of being a bit talkative in class or acting out. When Quinn and Puck had gone in for parent teacher conferences the previous year, Beth's first grade teacher noted that she tried moving her seat but Beth got along so well with everyone and still talked during class, however she responded well when asked to be quiet. When the pair questioned their daughter about it she merely shrugged and said she was bored.

"I'm done, Mommy!" Beth said cheerfully as she skipped up to Quinn's desk. "What can I do now?"

"Well, B-Bug, I'm just unpacking some books that go on these shelves. If you want, you can hand them to me and I'll put them away."

Quinn and Beth spent the next hour and a half unpacking the boxes and setting up bulletin boards. Just as they had finished putting up the border- which mostly consisted of Quinn doing all of the work and Beth giving her "approval"- Quinn's cell phone rang.

"If it's Daddy I wanna answer it!" Beth called out.

"Go ahead," Quinn said after reading Puck's name on the caller ID.

"Hi Daddy!"

"Hey, B-Rex," Puck replied on the other end of the phone. "Are you having a good time at school with your mom?"

"Uh huh."

"Are you actually helping her or just playing around?"

"I helped! I dusted off the desks and helped with books and the bulletin board."

"Good. Lemme talk to your mom."

"Hi there," Quinn said, taking the phone from Beth. "You were up and gone early this morning."

"I kissed you goodbye, Sleeping Beauty. I just wanted to try and finish up some things over here before I heard off to work this afternoon."

"I vaguely remember that, now that you mention it. How are things coming along?"

"Great but now I'm hungry. Do you still wanna grab lunch? I'd like to eat something before work."

"Absolutely. We're almost done here. Do you just want to meet us somewhere?" Quinn suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Puck agreed. "Should we let munchkin pick?"

"No, because if it were up to her, we would eat every meal at the McDonald's with a play place. Can we meet at the café downtown? That way I can get a decent salad and you can get a burger or something."

"OK, meet you there in twenty minutes or so."

"See you soon," Quinn said before hanging up her phone. "Beth, come on we're meeting your dad for lunch."

"Are we coming back?"

"Not today."

"But I wanna play on the chalkboard!" Beth pouted.

"Maybe later this week, OK? Let's get going, we don't want to keep him waiting."

Quinn gathered her things together and quickly surveyed the room. It was coming together quite nicely, a vast change from the previous year. She had been ill-prepared for just how much work she had to put into getting her classroom together. Her overall goal had been to give the room character; to turn it into a place that was comfortable and not as institutional looking as the rest of the school. She wanted it to be a place that she wouldn't mind being in for seven to eight hours a day. In a way, she wanted it to feel like a home.

This year, Quinn merely had to uncover bookshelves that she had placed sheets on over two months ago and change her bulletin boards. After airing out the room and lighting a candle- the one Principal Figgins wasn't supposed to know about- the room soon lost the musty smell that had hung about it when she and Beth first walked in. Later in the week, she would go through her papers and lesson plans in order to make sure her books were neatly in order, but that was hardly an easy task to perform with a seven-year-old running around.

Taking the girl by the hand, Quinn shut off the light and locked the door before leading her down the hallway. They weren't more than five steps away from the room when she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

"Fabray, I'd like to speak to you for a moment."

Quinn froze momentarily, her arm tugging Beth back to prevent her from going any further. For a split second, it felt like she was back in high school again, being called out by Coach Sylvester for something and she instinctively lifted her hand to check the height of her ponytail.

"Yes Coach," she asked, slowly turning around. Even though she would be starting her second year at McKinley, it still felt strange to call her former teachers by their first names, even Mr. Schue and Miss Pillsbury. Actually, even though it had been nearly five years, Quinn also seemed unable to remember that it was now _Mrs. Schuester_, only realizing her mistake after receiving bewildered looks from her students.

"We need to have a little powwow to discuss tryouts in a few weeks."

"Sure, I'm free tomorrow afternoon."

"How about today? I have a meeting tomorrow with a firework company."

"I was actually just leaving to go out to lunch," Quinn tried to explain.

"Lunch is for the weak Fabray. That's why I gave it up. It's nothing but a gigantic waste of my time. Don't you remember that? I know it's been a few years, but still."

"Don't _you_ remember that I haven't been _Fabray_ in over a year?"

"I vaguely remember hearing something about that and completely forgetting it three seconds later."

"My mommy's name is Mrs. Puckerman," Beth announced proudly.

"Did your clone just speak to me?"

"Beth, what did I tell you about interrupting grown up conversations?"

"I dunno," the little girl shrugged and her mother knew she was employing the 'selective memory' she inherited from her father.

"She is the spitting image of you," Sue said, looking closely at Beth. "Minus the brown hair. You should talk to your cloners about that. It's one of the reasons I haven't cloned myself yet. There is always a chance of imperfections and Sue Sylvester never settles for anything less than perfection."

"Coach Sylvester, this is my _daughter_, Beth. Sweetie, Miss Sylvester was my cheerleading coach in high school."

"Hi there," Sue said, extending her hand, much to Quinn's surprise.

"My mommy was the best cheerleader ever," Beth replied, shaking the outstretched hand. Quinn held her breath and waited for Sue to make a comment about her being kicked off of the squad for being pregnant with Beth, but none came. The tall blonde in her signature track suit merely stood up straight and nodded.

"She certainly was one of the best, which is why she's going to help me coach. So, go have your little vomit inducing family lunch and pop by my office when you get back."

"Fine," Quinn sighed. "I'll be back in an hour or so."

"That a girl. See you later Pu-. Nope. Can't do it. That's just _weird_. Just get used to me calling you Fabray and deal with it."

"Mommy," Beth said as they climbed into Quinn's car in the teacher's lot. "That lady was a weirdo."

"B-Bug, it's not nice to call people names, but you honestly have no idea."

XXXXX

Puck was the first to arrive at the small café downtown. He parked his truck and checked his hands to make sure they were clean. He changed his shirt before he left because the other one was covered in paint splatters. Even though he had been up early that morning, Puck didn't mind the fact that he had to go into work at two-thirty. He liked being on the afternoon shift sometimes because he could still do other stuff in the morning. The only downfall was not being home to have dinner with his girls or tuck Beth into bed. Still, he couldn't exactly argue with the pay and benefits he got as a police officer.

Sometimes, he still loved seeing the shocked expression on the faces of people he hadn't seen in awhile when he told them he was a cop. He would have been the first to admit that it wasn't where people expected to him end up but he loved his job. When he wasn't causing trouble when he was younger he _had_ always liked helping people out. Growing up without a dad made him naturally protective of his family and that drive transferred to his friends and his community. Puck also felt like he had a keener understanding of the job than some of his fellow officers because of his own troubled past. Eventually, he wanted to work with some of Lima's troubled youth, but first he had to pay his dues as a patrol officer. At the end of the day, he was happy to say that he was doing something that made his family proud of him.

Puck smiled when he saw Quinn pull up next to him and waved to an excited Beth in the backseat. He climbed out of his car and walked around to Quinn's, opening her door for her and kissing her over the top of it. The trio made their way into the restaurant where they were seated at a table.

"Did you have fun today?" Puck asked Beth.

"Yes! I met Mommy's boss."

"Figgins?"

"No," Quinn shook her head. "Sue. We ran into her on the hallway and now I get to go back and have a meeting with her."

"Today?"

"Yep. I'm dropping Beth off at your mom's. Sara's going to watch her for the hour or so that I'm gone."

"Want me to take her over there?" Puck offered. "That way you don't have to go back and forth anymore than you have to."

"That would be great," Quinn replied. "How was your morning? How are things coming along?"

"Good. All of the bedrooms are painted. Finn said that the carpeting throughout the house is being done tomorrow and the flooring in the kitchen and front entryway is being done the day after that."

"So everything is on schedule?"

"Believe it or not," Puck grinned. "If it all keeps going this way, we'll be moving in next Thursday, just like we planned."

"Is my new bedroom ready yet Daddy?" Beth asked.

"Almost B-Rex. You're gonna love it. Uncle Finn's been making sure it's extra special for you."

"I still can't believe we'll finally be in our own _house_," Quinn almost squealed. "I need to pack some more when I get home."

After living in Puck's mom's basement throughout high school, a series of apartments in college, followed by one more after they moved back to Lima, Quinn and Puck were both thrilled to be moving into a house that they could really and truly call their own. At first, they started looking at homes that were already on the market, but frankly, Quinn was tired of living in a place that wasn't exactly what she wanted. Fortunately, Finn had recently started working as a general contractor and was always looking for business.

After high school, Finn had continued on to a local community college while Rachel pursued her dreams on the stage under the bright lights of New York City. Although they stayed together for a year or so, they eventually broke things off, much to everyone's shock. It seemed sudden and no one could get the full story from either of them. When Puck asked his friend what had happened, he merely shrugged and said he never thought city life was for him. When Quinn talked to a devastated Rachel for hours upon end over the phone, she said she was torn but she was signed onto a show and couldn't leave. Quinn tried to reassure her that Finn wouldn't want her to quit and if they were meant to be together, they would be someday.

Like Rachel, Finn threw himself into work, using one of Burt's connections to get an apprenticeship with a contractor until he had built up the money and skills to start his own business. The only time Finn and Rachel had seen each other since their breakup was at Quinn and Puck's wedding. Finn was the Best Man and although Mercedes was the Maid of Honor Rachel had been invited with the rest of the glee club. They were cordial to one another and after the wedding they went on living their separate lives.

It saddened Quinn to think that they couldn't find some way to make it work the way she and Puck had. She quickly learned to avoid the subject around Finn. Once when she brought it up after the two of them had met to discuss plans for the new house he snapped at her that "not everyone gets to marry their high school sweetheart". She wondered if seeing her and Puck so happy together bothered him.

"How much more do we have left to pack?" Puck asked, pulling Quinn from her thoughts.

"Well, I think I can get the kitchen mostly finished up tonight. That will leave more bedroom stuff for later. It's weird because at school I'm unpacking boxes and at the apartment I'm packing them. I'm living in a world of boxes."

"When I get home I can pack up some of the heavier stuff like the big mixer thingy and-."

"You should go to bed when you get home. You've been painting all morning _and_ you're working an eight hour shift."

"Mommy, it's summer. Daddy should get to go to bed later just like me," Beth said, nibbling on a carrot stick.

"We'll see," Quinn smiled, eying Puck.

Once they all finished their lunch, Beth left with her dad while Quinn drove back to school in the blistering August heat. The humidity was so high that it was almost nauseating. Although she was excited to be coaching the JV Cheerios, Quinn dreaded the idea of working with Coach Sylvester. After she was kicked off of the team her sophomore year and quit her junior year she was surprised that Sue would have even considered her for the job.

Even though she knew it had been for the best and despite the harsh regulations, Quinn missed cheering. Sure, the glee club and her family helped to fill the void, but there was still something inexplicable that she longed for. She hoped that she would be able to temper some of Sue's less attractive qualities when it came to coaching.

"Took you long enough," Sue said, not even glancing up when Quinn appeared in her doorway.

"What did you want to talk about?" she asked, ignoring the comment.

"As you know, tryouts are the first week back from summer vacation. You'll be running the Junior Varsity tryouts but I'll be there to offer my input as well. These girls you choose _will_ be cheering for me one day."

"But I still get to make the final call, right?" Quinn asked.

"Of course, Fabray. This is your squad, but it might behoove you to value my opinion highly since I _have_ been doing this for much longer and I have twelve National Championships under my belt."

"Coach Sylvester, I know how you coach and I just want to be clear that I have a very different outlook on the role of a coach."

"Such as?"

"Well, it's not my goal to make everyone cry during practice. Also, don't expect me to promote skipping meals."

"That's all fine and dandy, just make sure they know what to expect when and _if_ they make it to Varsity."

"Oh, I can guarantee that my girls will make varsity and not only that, but I'll show you that you don't have to be a tyrant to achieve victory."

"Fabray, I like your spunk, I always have but before you step into this position of power, I have one question for you: Is it better to be feared or to be loved?"

"I didn't know cheering was so Machiavellian," Quinn mused.

"It's not. Cheerleading is Sylvesterellian. That bastard stole it from me."

"But that's not poss-."

"Don't argue about it," Sue said. "I think we're done here."

"But we didn't talk much about tryouts. What routines will they be taught?"

"That's your job. Do you expect me to do everything for you?"

"Well…no, I just thought-."

"Look, Fabray, I'm not going to hold your hand the entire time. I'm way too busy with everything else so you get to choreograph and block out a routine, pick the music and all of that crap. Let's just pretend for the time being that I trust your judgment."

Quinn left Sue's office feeling a little more than disconcerted. She knew working with her old coach would be challenging but now she felt like Sue would be both overbearing _and_ unhelpful all at the same time. She knew that if she asked Puck he would just tell her to brush it off and tell Sue to _fuck off_. While it would be tempting to do just that, Quinn needed to learn a more effective way of dealing with Sue. There was one person at McKinley who knew how to deal with Coach Sylvester better than anyone else: Mr. Schue. As she walked out of the school, Quinn made a mental note to stop by the choir room at some point before the start of the school year for some valuable words of wisdom.

XXXXX

As she drove to Puck's mom's house to pick up Beth, Quinn thought back to the first time her husband drove her there all those years ago after Sectionals when she had no place else to go. If it hadn't been for Ruth and her own mom's support over the years, Quinn knew that she and Puck never would have made it. Even now, they still relied on them for babysitting help. On days that Puck couldn't get her, Judy would pick Beth up from school and take her to her house until Quinn could pick her up after work.

Yes, Quinn knew that she and Puck were far luckier than most people had been in similar situations. Quinn was especially grateful that Sara was home for the afternoon and willing to look after her niece. Puck's sister was now just a few months shy of her eighteenth birthday and would be starting her senior year at McKinley. Influenced by Quinn and Puck she joined the glee club with one of Puck's old guitars on her shoulder and never looked back. She was street smart like Puck but also book smart like Quinn and the two were closer than Quinn was with her own sister in many ways.

Finding the front door unlocked, Quinn let herself in, announcing her arrival.

"Hello!"

"We're all in the kitchen," Ruth called out. "How was your meeting?"

"Oh, just a bucketful of fun," Quinn replied sarcastically as she kissed Beth on the top of her head.

"Does she even teach anything?" Sara asked.

"She is now a _permanent sub_, meaning that she's supposed to be called when another teacher is sick. The keywords are _supposed to_."

"Mommy, I'm helping with dinner!"

"I see that. What are you making with Nana and Aunt Sara?"

"Chicken!" Beth said, waving a celery stick in the air.

"You guys should stick around for dinner," Sara offered. "It's just Mom and me, but there's going to be plenty of food."

"I think we can do that," Quinn said. "I didn't have anything special planned. This will be nice since part of my kitchen is packed up anyway."

"I hear the house is coming along nicely," Ruth said as she placed a tray of rolls in the oven. "Noah said he and Finn were working on it this morning?"

"They painted the bedrooms," Quinn confirmed. "I think we're going to drive over tomorrow night to take a few boxes of things. If we do it little by little maybe it won't seem quite as overwhelming, but I think we've become experts at moving by now."

"Do you still need help next Thursday?" Sara asked.

"Yes, and we will be paying you in pizza and beer afterwards, but no beer for you. Only pizza and pop."

"Seventeen is pretty close to twenty-one."

"And still_ very_ far away," Ruth said sternly but with a smile. "Who wants to help set the table?"

XXXXX

"Are we gonna have a pool at our new house?" Beth asked Quinn as they walked into the apartment. "Daddy said we would get a pool like Nana has at her house."

"Eventually we will," Quinn assured the girl. "But maybe not right away. We will have a swing set for you."

"Awesome. Is it going to have monkey bars? I can almost do them by myself on the playground at school."

"I'm not sure. But you know what _do _know?"

"What?"

"It's bath time. Run over to the bathroom while I go put my things down and I'll be there in a minute."

"But Mommy…"

"I'm going to time you. Ready…Set…Go!"

Quinn chuckled as Beth scampered away quickly and went into the kitchen to drop her purse and bags over the back of a chair. Looking around she sighed heavily, knowing that she had a lot of work to do.

_Isn't summer supposed to be relaxing?_ she wondered.

Once Beth was in bed, Quinn changed into a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt before she began to work on the kitchen again. Her goal was to not only pack things, but organize and throw things away as she went so that it would make the unpacking process easier next week. She didn't really realize how long she had been working for when Puck came through the door a little after eleven.

"You're still working in here?" he asked, walking up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I'm almost done, I promise."

"Nope, you are done. This can wait until tomorrow. If I can't pack up stuff, neither can you."

Puck led her over to the couch as unbuttoned the top few buttons on his uniform as he plopped them down onto the sofa. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear he kissed her, deeply breathing her in before he pulled away.

"Hi," he said simply.

"Hi back," she replied. "How was work?"

"Well, I'm here so it couldn't have been too bad."

"I hate when you say that."

"Why? I'm just joking."

"I know, I just…I don't know. Were you busy?"

"A little. Busted some kids for playing around with fireworks, pulled a few people over. You know, small stuff. How was your meeting with Sue?"

"Better and worse than I expected it to be," Quinn replied after a moment.

"That bad?" Puck asked.

"She just wants me to do all of these things but she wants to have her hand in the pot at the same time. I'm just worried that we're going to clash on a lot of things."

"Babe, if you _didn't_ clash on a lot of things I might be worried about you."

"Good point."

"So, I'm assuming that you didn't tell her."

"No," Quinn sighed. "I decided to wait a little while. I just want to try and make the first few weeks go by as smoothly as possible."

"Good point," Puck agreed with her. "Besides, for one thing you're not even showing yet and what is she going to do when she find out? Kick you off the team?"

"Again," she added. "You're right. Why should I tell her? We haven't even told that many people about it outside of our close family and friends anyway."

"Exactly. Is it even going to affect your job?"

"No. It's not like I'm going to be the one stunting or flying or anything like that and the JV season ends before the Varsity season. We're done as soon as the conference competition is over in February."

"Which gives you a month to sit back and relax," Puck said tracing a line across Quinn's still flat stomach.

"Relax," she muttered. "What does that mean exactly?"

"It's that thing we're doing right now where we forget about work and the house for a minute and just spend time together."

"Oh right, I think I like that," Quinn said, leaving forward to kiss Puck. "Does that still count as relaxing?"

"Absolutely," he replied.

"Do you want to put in a movie?"

"Are you going to fall asleep on me before it's over?"

"Don't I always?"

Puck merely shook his head and stood up from the couch. Once they decided on a movie, Puck sank back into the couch, pulling Quinn over to him as she easily sank into his arms. Once he had grabbed the remote and hit the "play" button he set it back down again and threw a blanket over Quinn and himself, kissing her lightly on the forehead as she settled down further into his arms.

**Please Review :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Welcome to Chapter 2. I just wanted to extend a huge "Thank You" to everyone who read and reviewed Chapter 1. You really have no idea how encouraging it was to see and read all of the feedback. I hope you all enjoy this new chapter! Xoxo –Katie**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. **

The oppressive August heat gave way to a warm September. Quinn and Puck had been in their new house for a month and finally had everything unpacked and put away. Move in day had been a giant mess of organized chaos, as Quinn had put it. Even though they had already moved some boxes over earlier in the week it was hectic. Quinn had meticulously labeled everything but there was still confusion. Puck was adamant about her not lifting boxes and she suspected that her husband had placed her mother in charge of watching her like a hawk. With more than one roll of her eyes, Quinn gave in and complied, content with trying to unpack boxes as they came into the house. Beth's job was to stay out of the way and take people water or soda. They did get lucky and the day was a relatively overcast one, tempering the heat a bit. At the end of the day, they at least had both of the bedrooms unpacked and Quinn and Puck easily fell into their bed, exhausted from a long day of work.

"We did it," Quinn smiled in the dark. "We finally have our own house. This is like a dream come true for me."

"Me too, babe. I just want to see you happy."

"What about you? Are you happy?"

"Of course I am," Puck assured her, leaning in to kiss her. Quinn returned the kiss, letting out a barely audible breathy moan when she felt Puck's arms slink around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"I thought you were tired," she teased him, pulling back ever so slightly.

"I can sleep tomorrow," he replied, kissing her once again. "Some things are worth it."

Puck's hands found their way under Quinn's tank top and began caressing the smooth skin of her back. With all of the packing and moving activities it had been a while since they'd been together. He felt a light chill run up his spine as Quinn's finger tips grazed over his arms and down his chest before stopping at the waistband of his boxer shorts. Puck trailed a string of kisses across her jaw and down her neck, sucking lightly on the exposed flesh just above her collar bone.

"You smell good," he hummed against her neck.

"Worst pickup line ever."

"Sorry. I'm rusty. I haven't had to use one in a long time, but it seems to be working."

"Mmmhmmm," Quinn murmured, biting her lips as she let her index fingers hook under Puck's waistband. "I don't think we need these any-."

"Mommy? Daddy? Are you awake?" a small voice asked from the doorway.

"No," Puck whispered but Quinn pushed him away gently and sat up.

"Is everything OK, B-Bug?"

"I can't sleep," Beth whined, walking towards her mother's side of the bed.

"Why not? We set up everything in your new room. Don't you like it?"

"Yes, but…it's different."

Quinn smiled slightly. She knew exactly what her daughter meant because she felt the same way when she slept in a new place for the first time. Having Puck near her, having that sense of familiarity, had always helped in the past few years though.

"Do you want some milk or water?"

"Uh huh."

"OK, come on," Quinn said tossing her covers to the side before turning to Puck. "Put your undershirt on. You know she's going to want to come sleep with us."

Quinn padded behind Beth into the kitchen and pulled out a chair for her to sit on. She began reading over box labels, searching for the one with the cups in it. Locating the right one, Quinn retrieved Beth's favorite pink Disney Princess cup and a glass for herself before walking over to the fridge. When she opened the door she squinted against the harsh light and reached for the milk, which was one of the only containers in the large, empty fridge. She made a mental note to go shopping soon for real food as she poured the two glasses and set one in front of Beth.

"Thanks, Mommy," she said after taking a gulp of it and wiping her mouth with her arm.

"You're welcome, baby. Thank you for helping so much today."

"When do you think Daddy with play on the swingset with me?"

"I don't know. We still have a lot of things to unpack but maybe on Sunday."

"Mommy, are we going to stay in this house for a long time?" Beth asked.

"Yep," Quinn said, finishing her milk. "That's why Daddy and I wanted everything to be perfect, so we don't have to move for a very _very_ long time."

"And the baby is gonna have their own room?"

"Yeah, right next to your room."

"I want a baby brother," Beth declared.

"Do you now?"

"Uh huh, because Daddy is the king, you're the queen and I'm the princess. We need to have a prince…and a dog."

"A dog?"

"Yes, because a castle needs a dog. Like in Beauty and the Beast there was a dog, but the doggy was a footstool but our dog would be a real dog like at the end of the movie. So can we get a dog? Please?"

"Beth, sweetie, we _just_ moved in today. We'll get a dog soon but give your dad and me some time to get settled in."

"OK. I'm tired. Can I sleep with you and Daddy tonight? Please? I'll sleep in my bed tomorrow. I promise."

"Fine," Quinn agreed. "But _just_ for tonight."

"Scoot over Daddy," Beth said, climbing up onto the large bed once they had returned to the bedroom. "Mommy said I could."

"But you always hog the covers," Puck whined in mock complaint, gathering Beth up into his arms and squeezing her.

"No I don't. I'm in the middle. I can't steal them all."

"Well, no kicking me in your sleep either, munchkin."

"_You_ kick. Your legs are longer."

"Do not."

"Do to!"

"I'm going to kick _both_ of you out in a second," Quinn said.

Puck and Beth just muttered their apologies even though they knew Quinn wasn't really being serious. The little girl snuggled against her father's shoulder but reached out and pulled Quinn's arm so that it draped across her. Puck smiled at her over Beth's head and mouthed an _I Love You_ that Quinn returned before they both closed their eyes and fell asleep.

XXXXX

"Daddy, why can't I come with you and Mommy?" Beth asked from the backseat of Puck's truck.

"Just because. Maybe you can come next time. We'll bring home a video so you can see what the baby looks like."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Puck nodded, pulling into Judy's driveway. "Now remember-."

"I know, be good for grandma. I'm _always_ good."

"You get that from your mom."

"You're funny, Daddy," Beth laughed, sliding out of the car.

Puck grabbed his daughter's backpack off of the passenger seat and followed Beth up the front walk to Quinn's mom's house. Over the years, he and Judy had become much more accustomed to one another. He felt like she trusted him now, especially after he and Quinn had gotten married. He had proved to her that he really could take care of Quinn and Beth and give them everything that they needed, including a new house. Although he liked to pretend that he didn't care what people thought of him, he did care a little bit. It wasn't so much her approval that he was seeking as much as it was about proving her wrong.

When Judy answered the door, Puck marveled at how she was almost exactly the same as she had been seven years ago. Thanks to what he suspected were Botox treatments, she'd barely aged at all and was always smartly dressed. Surprisingly, Judy had never remarried after divorcing Quinn's dad. She'd gone on a couple of dates, heavily encouraged by her daughters to move on with her life, but she assured them that she was quite content with being single. She chose to pour a good deal of her energy into her grandchildren and traveling. A few times a year, Judy would go on a trip with some of her close friends from the Ladies Auxiliary at Church.

"Thanks for watching her, Judy," Puck said when she answered the door.

"Of course, any time you know that," she replied.

"Sorry I can't stop and chat, but Quinn will kill me if I'm late. We'll swing by and pick her up as soon as we're done."

Puck gave Beth a quick kiss on top of her head and jogged back to his truck. Because he had the day off and they were going to the doctor's appointment, Puck had dropped Quinn off that morning to save time and gas. He was actually really excited for the appointment that afternoon. He had been to every one with the exception of the very first one. Quinn had told him that he didn't have to go to them if he didn't want to but he was more than willing to be there. He felt like he missed out on so much when Quinn was first pregnant with Beth. He had to watch everything happen from afar and get second hand new from Finn. Not this time. He had a lot to make up for and he wasn't going to miss a doctor's visit if he could help it.

Quinn was waiting for him outside of the school in the circle drive and smiled when he pulled up. She climbed up into his truck and leaned over to give him a kiss before lacing her fingers through his own. She was glad the they were able to schedule an appointment on his day off because it really meant a lot to her that he was willing and excited to come even though she had given him the option not to. He may not have enjoyed shopping with her or things like that, but she knew how he felt about being at her appointments.

"Surprised Sue let you out of practice," Puck mused as they drove along.

"She was actually fine with it. I feel bad for my girls though. She's going to run them ragged during practice today. Maybe I'll bring them cookies or something tomorrow."

"Cupcakes?" Puck suggested.

"No, I only make _you_ cupcakes," Quinn replied with a smirk.

"Good. Are you excited?"

"Yeah."

"Now, you're _sure_ we don't want to find out the sex?"

"Yes. I'm positive. Are _you_? You keep bringing it up."

"I'm sure. I like surprises."

"Besides, it's still a little early to tell. The doctor would probably know next month so if we decide later that we want to know, we can just find out at the next one."

Although Quinn couldn't remember when, she and Puck had decided that they wanted to keep their baby's gender a mystery. She vividly remembered lying on the table in the doctor's office with Finn and the doctor just blurting out that she was having a girl without even asking her if she wanted to know. This time around she just wanted things to be different. Even though she would be happy with whatever they were blessed with, she had a rising suspicion that this baby would be a boy. Quinn had read books and articles which claimed that symptoms like morning sickness and craving could predict the gender but she didn't really buy into any of that, she simply had a hunch. Maybe it was part of her motherly intuition.

Even though her pregnancy was progressing normally, Quinn still got a little nervous before each doctor's visit. It had been that way with Beth and it was still that way now. She just couldn't help herself but having Puck in the room with her really calmed her down. Just that fact that she wasn't alone made Quinn feel much better.

Puck and Quinn walked together into the doctor's office and checked in at the front desk. Despite the passing of the years, they were still one of the youngest couples in the waiting room. It was true that they were the only two of their group of friends that were married but since they had gone through so much together there was definitely an air of maturity about them.

Luckily, they didn't have to wait long before a nurse called Quinn back and began the familiar routine of asking her to change into a gown and weighing her. Puck was surprised that the same nurse was still there and that she remembered him.

"Are you ready to have two little ones running around now?" she asked him as she measured Quinn's tiny bump.

"Well, I'm thinking about selling one of them to the gypsies," he joked.

"Last time you were here you guys were getting ready to move into a new house, right?"

"Yeah, we moved in about a month ago," Quinn said. "It's amazing to have so much room."

"And I bet your little girl is excited to be a big sister soon."

"Absolutely. She asked me the other day if she was going to have a baby, too."

"She wanted to come," Puck added. "But I told her maybe another time. I did promise her a DVD thing though."

"We can do that," the nurse assured him. "The doctor should be in shortly."

"I hate waiting," Quinn said, glancing over to Puck once the nurse left.

"I know you do."

"I just don't like exams and tests and things like that. It could be the easiest thing and I'll still get jittery about it."

"That's because you're a perfectionist, babe."

"I can't even argue with you about that. Oh, before I forget, your sister's first glee club invitational is on Sunday. We're going."

"Oh fun," Puck said, rolling his eyes.

"You'll have fun and maybe you'll get to meet her new boyfriend," Quinn replied quickly, waiting for his reaction to that new piece of information.

"Come again?" he blinked. "For a second I thought you said that Sara had a boyfriend."

"I did."

"Who? Some punk?"

"I don't know much about him other than that his name is Shane and he's on the football team."

"Well, can't you look stuff up about him? Check out his file?"

"Puck, I'm an English teacher, not a dean or a guidance counselor. Why don't you run a criminal background check on him or something?"

"That's not even funny. I swear, this kid's record better be spotless."

Quinn was about to open her mouth to say something when the doctor walked into the room. She went over the items the nurse wrote down and asked some additional question. She asked about Quinn's morning sickness and her cravings and Puck stayed quiet for most of the appointment. He had learned his lesson before Beth was born that it was much better for him to be seen and offer his support, but not heard. It wasn't like he had any questions for he kept his opinions to himself.

Puck thought back to the first doctor's visit he went to with Quinn not long after she moved in with him. Although she had been slightly hesitant, she allowed it and was later happy that she did. Even though Puck claimed to have had something in his eyes, he had to admit that he got a little choke up when he saw his little girl show up on the screen during the ultrasound.

This time wasn't much different. Seeing the fuzzy image on the screen and hearing the doctor say that everything looked normal would allow him to let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't that he expected anything to be wrong, but after the rollercoaster that had been the last six month of his life; he knew that anything, good or bad, could happen in the blink of an eye. It all started back in Marc h. He and Quinn had decided that it was finally time to get the house they'd always dreamed of. They had saved up a decent amount of money and had the right connections to make it all work. Then, his grandpa died suddenly. Puck felt like someone had come along and ripped the carpet out from underneath him and then sucker punched him while he was down. He felt lost and, honestly, if it hadn't been for Quinn and Beth he just knew he would have done something stupid.

Puck was never great when it came to dealing with his emotions or feelings and he'd never lost anyone he cared about so much before. His first instinct was to push people away, but Quinn let him know pretty early on that she wouldn't stand for that. _For better or for worse,_ she had told him. _We said that to each other and I meant it._ Instead of pushing people away, he drew strength from them. He threw himself into helping Finn with the new house and he knew that the best thing he could do was make his grandfather proud of him.

"Things will get better," his Bubbe had said to him after they were done sitting shivah for a week at his mother's house.

She was right.

One day in early July, Puck and Quinn were walking through their "work-in-progress" house, looking it over before they went on vacation for two weeks. At first, Puck had vowed never to go back up to that house in Wisconsin again because there were too many memories, but Quinn finally convinced him to do it for his grandma and for Beth, so that she would always remember her great-grandpa. They were walking through each room when they came to the spare bedroom. Puck had assumed they would throw a bed in there and maybe a desk and dresser and use it for when guests came to visit. It seemed like Quinn had other plans though.

"We could make this into a nursery someday," she had said wistfully as she stepped into the room while Puck waited in the doorway. "We could put a crib over on this wall, a dresser over there and a changing table on the last wall."

"You haven't given this any thought at all, have you?" he chuckled, knowing how Quinn got when something was on her mind.

"Well," she replied, biting her lip to keep from smiling even though her back was still facing him. "We only have about eight months left."

For a minute Puck didn't think she was being serious but then he realized that Quinn would never joke about something like _that_. Sure, they had technically been "trying" since late April (or, really, it was more like they had stopped trying not to get pregnant) but he just expected that it would have taken a little bit longer than that. In any case, he was excited, beyond excited actually because _this_ time there were no secrets gnawing at anyone and it would be drama free.

Puck had been surprised, but glad, when Quinn told his grandmother on the last night of their vacation. It was still pretty early on, but Quinn had shrugged and told him she thought it would lift her spirits. That night, an unseasonably chilly one, even for the Northwoods, while Puck, Sara, and Beth were out fishing, Quinn, Ruth and Esther strolled along the beach. "It just looked like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders still," Quinn had told Puck later that night while they were packing the last of their belongings. "So it just sort of came out. I haven't seen her smile like that in so long. She just linked her arm through mine, patted my hand and said _there is a season for everything, eh? Maybe a boy this time?_"

For as much as he hadn't wanted to go, Puck was glad that he took the trip. He knew the hardest part of the vacation would be when they read his grandfather's will. It seemed like doing it right after the funeral would have been too soon and the executor of the will had been given express orders to only open it when the full family was present, leaving July as the next available option.

It came as no surprise that Leonard left most of his things to his wife and daughters but Puck and Quinn were shocked to hear that he had left the smaller cabin to them. Not only that, but he also left them a considerable sum of money with instructions that it was to be used to fix up or add onto the cabin to fit their needs. Puck's grandfather also left him the black Harley that they had worked on together and Quinn had agreed that when they were moved into their new house and actually had a garage, he could bring it home and keep it there. By the end of the summer, time was healing the void left in his life and things were definitely on the upswing.

Puck was pulled back to reality when he felt Quinn gently squeeze his hand as the image of their baby showed up on the screen and the steady rhythm of the heartbeat filled the room.

"Everything looks good," the doctor said, moving the transducer around a bit to look at the baby from another angle. "The heartbeat sounds good as well. As long as there aren't any more questions you two are good to go. You can set up your visit for next month on your way out."

After Quinn and Puck returned home with Beth and ate dinner they placed the DVD the doctor had given them into the player and the image showed up on their TV screen.

"That's it?" Beth asked in disbelief. "That doesn't look like a baby."

"Well, sweetie, it's not done growing yet," Quinn explained. "But look, you can see the head right here and its arm."

"Hmmm. So it's going to get bigger?"

"Yeah," Puck said. "Just like you grow all the time, the baby grows, too. That's why Mommy's tummy is going to get bigger and bigger."

"How did the baby get in there? Is Mommy gonna pop like a balloon?"

"Uhh, no," Quinn said quickly before Puck could answer. They had been waiting for Beth to ask a question like this and had debated on what to tell their daughter. "When it's time for the baby to be born, I'm going to go to the hospital and the doctors will help your little brother or sister come out and then we get to take him or her home with us."

Beth arched her eyebrow curiously for a moment as if she was trying to take in all of the information her mother had just thrown at her before shrugging her shoulders. "OK," she replied. "Are we having dessert tonight?"

"Thank God for the attention span of a seven-year-old," Puck chuckled to Quinn as he followed Beth into the kitchen.

XXXXX

Quinn was sitting on the couch the following evening talking to Mercedes on the phone. Ever since her best friend had moved to New York they agreed that they would still keep in touch no matter what. Although they sent emails (sometimes daily) and text messages, Quinn felt like both forms of communication were so impersonal and so they talked on the phone every Thursday night. It was almost more of a ritual than a routine at this point. Every week, Quinn would make herself a cup of tea (or pour herself a glass of wine when she wasn't pregnant) and they would sit and talk for at least a half an hour and sometimes they were still on the phone when Puck came home from working the second shift after eleven.

Quinn didn't mind being home late by herself with Beth. She had done so plenty of nights in college when Puck worked as a bartender, but it was still nice to have something to do to fill the time after Beth went to bed.

Mercedes had moved to New York with Kurt after they finished their fashion and design school and they had started their own small fashion line with a boutique in SoHo, with the dream of moving to Manhattan some day. She worked so hard that she rarely had the opportunity to make it back home except during the holidays.

"How's that guy you were seeing?" Quinn asked.

"Ugh, not worth my time anymore," Mercedes scoffed. "I swear most of the guys here I meet at bars are either too into themselves or gay."

"Maybe you should stop letting Kurt and Sam pick the clubs then."

"It's alright. If I'm going to be famous by the time I'm thirty I don't have the time or energy for those boys. What I need is a man who can afford me and my shoe addiction."

"Amen," Quinn giggled.

"So what about you, mama? What's up with the Cheerios?"

"You know how Sue is. I just feel like anything good I do is just going to get undone when they move up to varsity. I've got a really talented group of girls. I told Sue I was pregnant last week because I needed her to run my practice the other day because I had a doctor's appointment."

"How'd that go?"

"Well," Quinn sighed. "She said she thought child-rearing was despicable and, this is a direct quote, I better not drop before the JV Conference Championship."

"Oh, so she took it well," Mercedes decided.

"Yeah, well at least she didn't hear it from Jacob Ben Israel this time," Quinn added.

"You know, I heard he runs a blog out in LA now."

"Why does that not surprise me?"

"I wonder who he's blackmailing out of their panties now."

The conversation continued on for a few more minutes when Quinn's phone beeped. She pulled the cell away from her ear for a moment to check the display and furrowed her eyebrows together when she saw the name.

"Mercedes, I should take this other call. I'm sorry but we'll catch up later, OK?"

"Sure thing. Give my Goddaughter a hug and a kiss."

"I will. Tell Kurt and Sam I said hi!" Quinn said before answering her call waiting. "Rachel?"

"Oh my God, Quinn! Did I call you too late? I'm really sorry if I did it's just that-."

"Rachel, calm down, OK? You're talking about a mile a minute and I can barely understand what you're saying. It's not too late to be calling it's just that…you haven't really called at all lately. I'm just surprised."

"I know, I'm sorry I haven't called much or at all," Rachel babbled with a sense of urgency to her tone and something else that Quinn couldn't quite pick up on just yet. "But I really need to talk to someone who isn't going to just tell me what I want to hear and you're one of the only people who's always just been really honest with me, sometimes brutally so-."

"Rachel, you're sort of freaking me out. Is everything OK?"

There were a few moments of silence but Quinn could hear Rachel taking ragged breaths on the other end of the line and it sounded like she was crying a bit as well.

"Is everything OK?" Quinn repeated.

"I don't know," Rachel finally answered. "I don't know about anything anymore. That's why I had to come home."

"Wait, do you mean like home to your apartment home or _home_ home?"

"I mean, I'm at my dads' house right now. I had to get out of New York."

"OK you're not telling me what happened and I'm starting to freak out a little bit."

"My new show that opened last weekend? It flopped. It tanked and they ended the run last night."

"Oh wow, Rachel I'm so sorry to hear that. We were going to try and come up to see you in it."

"It ran for a week! What am I going to do?" Rachel squealed. "This is a disaster. I should have known better but I was just so sick and tired of taking supporting roles. You know me, Quinn. I can't stay in the background. I have a Tony! How am I going to step foot in a theater after this?"

"I'm pretty sure your show isn't the first show that's flopped before. You'll bounce back, you just need to…regroup, that's all."

"That's why I came home. What if I'm not meant to be on the stage though? What if this is some kind of sign?"

"Maybe it is," Quinn shrugged. "Maybe it isn't. I think you need a good night's sleep and some time to digest everything that's actually happening. Right now it all seems so terrifying and sudden. You might wake up with a completely different viewpoint."

"Thank you. When I got home tonight I just needed someone to talk to. I mean, I have my dads but they just keep trying to feed me and tell me everything is going to work out. You're the only person in my phone's contact list who is still in town that I knew I could talk to about something like this. Actually, if I stayed in New York I probably would have ended up called you, too, just like I did after Finn and I broke up. My New York friends…they just don't get it. I guess you're my go-to person to call with any of my drama."

"Well, I definitely have dealt with plenty of drama on my own," Quinn offered. "I'm happy to help. How long are you staying for?"

"Well, I don't know. The show was supposed to run through December. At least a little while, I guess. Until I figure out what I want to do."

"I'm free on Saturday if you want to grab dinner or something. You can't just sit around at your dads' house feeling sorry for yourself."

"Let me see if I can pencil you in," Rachel joked with a half-hearted laugh and a sniffle.

"We can even stay at the house if you don't feel like going out. We'll wear sweat pants and eat cookie dough or something. Beth will be excited to see you and I can kick Puck out for the night."

"That sounds perfect. I should go. I'm exhausted and tired of crying for one night."

"OK, I'll call you tomorrow and we can set up a time for Saturday."

"Thanks Quinn. You're such a great friend," Rachel said before hanging up the phone.

Quinn sank back down onto the couch after she ended the call. She hadn't noticed she had been pacing around the family room but it was something she normally did when she was deep into a difficult conversation. Rachel's last comment struck her. _A great friend? _she thought. _When the hell did Rachel and I become great friends?_ Sure, they had learned to be cordial to one another throughout high school and had surprisingly kept in touch during college, but it's not like they were ever bff's. Rachel seemed destined for fame and fortune on the stage and Quinn was more than happy with the life she chose.

It was funny how she wanted nothing more than to leave Lima for most of her childhood but when the opportunity finally arose after college, she found herself _wanting _ to come back and settle down in a place full of people she loved and cared about. If someone had told her six years ago that she would be happier in Lima than Rachel Berry was in New York City, she would have laughed in their face, but it was true. _Funny how things work like that_, Quinn mused. No matter what their past had been like, she and Rachel were on good terms now, really ever since the brunette had chosen Quinn to confide in after things ended between her and Finn. Once again, she needed someone to talk to. Quinn thought she could deal with that. She was a firm believer that everything happened for a reason and maybe she could help Rachel find that reason.

Quinn was startled from her thoughts when she heard the door leading out to the garage open and close and she jumped a bit.

"Didn't mean to scare you," Puck said, holding his hands up defensively.

"It's OK," she replied when he leaned down to kiss her. "I was just lost in thought."

"Hmmm thoughts about what? Me?" he asked, walking into the kitchen and pulling a beer out of the fridge.

"Hardly. You'll never guess who called me tonight."

"Mercedes!"

"No, well…yes, but I mean I got a call from someone who doesn't normally call me on Thursdays."

"I dunno."

"Rachel," Quinn stated.

"Really?" Puck asked in disbelief, lifting Quinn's legs so he could sit on the other end of the couch and setting them back down in his lap.

"She's back in town for…awhile. Her show did so poorly that they ended its run after just one week. I guess people didn't want to see a musical based on the music catalog of Captain and Tennille."

"What was it called again?"

"_Keep Us Together_."

"Right," Puck nodded, taking a swig of his beer. "Well, I guess it's a good thing I didn't get our tickets yet."

"Puck!" Quinn said, slapping his arm.

"Hey! _Ow_, that hurt. Doesn't she have an award, a Jimmy or something?"

"It's a _Tony_ and yes, she won a couple of years ago for best supporting actress."

Quinn had actually made Puck sit with her while they watched the entire award show on TV at their apartment in college. It had been exciting to see someone they knew winning an award, especially something as big as a Tony.

"So why'd she come home?"

"I'm not sure. I think she's just overwhelmed by everything and needed to get away."

"And she called you?"

"Yep. Which reminds me, are you doing anything on Saturday? Because I invited her to come over."

"Uhhh, you did?" Puck asked.

"Yeah," Quinn said, taking a sip of her tea which had become less than lukewarm. "Why? Do you have something planned?"

"Finn is supposed to come over to watch football on the big screen downstairs."

"But it's Saturday. Isn't football on Sundays?"

"It's college ball, babe."

"Well…you guys will be in the basement and we'll be up here. It'll be fine. Yeah, they were fine with each other at our wedding last year."

"That's true."

"I mean, we're all adults, right? I'd take her somewhere but I don't think she really feels like going out anywhere right now, especially around town. I'm just not going to tell her Finn's going to be here. She'd have a high speed come apart if I did."

"I'm not telling him either, "Puck decided. "He'll just punk out if I do and then I'll be stuck here with you and Rachel and before you go twisting my words, I don't mean that I'm stuck with you, I mean I'd be all alone with a houseful of girls."

"You know me so well," Quinn observed with a smile.

"That I do. I also know that you need to go to bed because you have school in the morning."

"Come up with me?"

"Of course," Puck said, taking her hand in his as she rose from the couch. "Boy we have an awesome weekend ahead of us. Fun with Finn and Rachel on Saturday and Sara's glee thing on Sunday."

"Sometimes I wonder how we get ourselves into all of this and then I remember it's mostly my fault," Quinn whispered to him on the way up the stairs.

"Eh, who knows maybe it won't really be so bad," he replied, kissing her on the shoulder. "What's the worst that could happen?"

**Please review :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Welcome to Chapter 3! Thanks so much to everyone who read and reviewed chapter 2. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I believe it's one of the longest ones I've ever written. One of the chapters in We Can Do This was longer, I think... Please read (and review if you feel so inclined. They really are very encouraging!). Xoxo- Katie**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

Quinn and Beth were in the kitchen that Saturday during the late morning cleaning up their breakfast dishes so they could make the brownies and chocolate chip cookie dough for when Rachel came over. Quinn was still slightly unsure about how everything would work out once their two friends found out they were both under the same roof.

"Hey Babe, did you get the pizza rolls?" Puck asked as he came down the stairs in his Ohio State jersey.

"Yeah, they're in the freezer," she replied, searching a cabinet for the bag of chocolate chips. "Do you want them in the oven or microwave?"

"Oven. They taste like ass in the microwave."

"Puck! Language," Quinn scolded, glancing over at a giggling Beth. "What time is Finn coming over?"

"In like, ten minutes or something. Where's the cookie sheet to put them on?"

"Don't worry about it. I can put them in and bring them down later when they're done."

"Thanks," Puck said, leaning over the island counter to kiss Quinn.

"You guys are gross," Beth scoffed.

"Why don't you go look out the front window and wait for Uncle Finn to get here, B-Rex."

Quinn had turned to place her dough in the refrigerator and when she turned around Puck was eying her suspiciously. "What?" she asked, cleaning up her bowls.

"Are you gonna tell Finn when he gets here that Rachel is coming over later?"

"I wasn't planning on it," she replied.

"He's gonna find out. The minute she walks through the door and opens her mouth, he's gonna hear her. No surround sound system could drown out Rachel."

"So let him find out," Quinn shrugged. "Maybe it won't be such a big huge ordeal for them to see each other again. Maybe…it could be a good thing."

"I don't know if I like the sound of that," Puck almost groaned. "What are you planning, or do I even want to know?"

"I'm not _planning_ anything. Who knows what might happen when Finn and Rachel see each other, especially now that she's going to be in town again for the foreseeable future. Who knows, maybe they'll just be able to put the past behind them and pick up where they left off."

"I'm pretty sure it only works that way in those awful movies you make me watch."

"It could happen. We could help get them back together."

"No, no, no, no, no," Puck said shaking his head. "I don't want any part of this and _you _need to be careful about getting involved in other people's relationships."

"Oh _please_. The only other time I intervened in people's relationships was when I set up Sam and Kurt and look at how happy they are together."

"I'm still not helping you."

"Fine," Quinn sighed, rolling her eyes. "Then I'll get all of the credit for it."

It wasn't really as if she had concocted some grand master plan to put Finn and Rachel back together, or that she became a matchmaker overnight. No, Quinn simply knew that as long as her two friends were close enough to one another it wouldn't take much to rekindle their romance. The fact that Rachel had never mentioned having another boyfriend and Finn had only casually dated a handful of other girls was promising enough to prove that they still carried a flame for one another. Quinn had no intentions of setting them up on dates with one another, but could she _really_ help it if they just so happened to both be at the same place at the same time? After all, Finn was Puck's best friend and, as much as she didn't want to admit it, Quinn was the closest thing Rachel had to a best friend in Lima.

"Uncle Finn pulled in!" Beth shouted. "I'll get the door."

"Not a word to him about Rachel," Quinn instructed.

"But-," Puck tried to protest.

"I'm serious, _Noah_. Not a word."

Puck pouted when he heard his wife use his given name. Even though they'd grown up and had been married for a year, Quinn never stopped using his nickname. It was comfortable, it was who he was and that would probably never change. The only times Quinn use _Noah_ was when she meant business and wanted his full attention and also in the bedroom. He wasn't even sure how or when the second instance first happened but one night he heard it slip from her lips and it became a regular occurrence. He thought it was both odd and cruel that she used his real name for two completely different reasons.

"Fine," he gave in with a slight glare. "I won't say anything but that doesn't mean I like it."

"You don't have to like it," Quinn smiled and kissed his cheek quickly. "You just have to go along with it."

"Uhhh, since when did you guys get an attack dog?" Finn asked as he walked into the kitchen with Beth slung over his shoulder. "Because this little creature practically lunged at me as soon as she opened the door."

"Uncle Finn, put me down!" Beth squealed with laughter.

"Nope, I'm gonna keep tickling you."

"But I hafta pee!"

"Yikes," Finn said, depositing the girl safely on the ground. The trio of adults watched as she raced up the stairs and into the bathroom. "She get that from you, Quinn?"

"Oh shut up," the blonde said. "She gets that from the fact that she's seven."

"Uh huh. Ooooo brownies!"

"Nope!" Quinn said, slapping Finn's hand. "No brownies for you."

"OK, I'm sorry I made fun of you. Puck, tell your wife to give me brownies now."

"Apparently, they're not for us," he explained to his friend.

"No fair, you make good brownies. You don't even use a box."

"Get over it. There's a ton of chips and dip for you guys in the basement and I'll put your pizza rolls in the oven as soon as I get back from the store with Beth around one-ish."

"Thanks mom!" Puck remarked sarcastically while Finn still frowned.

"But…I want brownies. Please?"

"Damnit Finn, if there's any left later you can take a couple home with you."

"Alright!"

"How're your mom and Burt?" Puck asked, grabbing beer out of the fridge for them.

"They're good. Going up to New York next week to visit Kurt and Sam."

"You're not going with them?"

"Nah, you know, it just brings up old memories and stuff being there. Never know who you might run into."

"Yeah, but she's not th-," Puck tried to say before Quinn discreetly pinched his side. Luckily, Finn was still not always perceptive enough to notice such things. "Ow, the fuck?"

"So, Finn," she said, ignoring her husband's complaint. "Are you seeing anybody right now?"

"Not really. You know, I feel like there isn't a whole lot of variety in Lima anymore. The good ones are either gone or taken."

Quinn offered Finn a sad half-smile. "Well, you never know," she simply said. "You might find someone when you least expect it."

"Right," Puck interrupted, not wanting his wife to completely depress Finn. "We've got some football to watch, so we'll be in the basement if you need us."

Quinn waited until she heard the basement door shut before climbing the stairs that lead to Beth's bedroom. She had a few errands to run and she knew it would be pointless to leave her daughter at home when Puck and Finn were in the basement.

"Beth, sweetie, we need to run to the store to get things for your science project. Are you ready?"

"Yes! Let's go," Beth exclaimed, hopping up off of the floor.

"OK," Quinn said once they were settled in the car and on their way to the arts and crafts store. "Your project is about space and you have to make a model of something. Do you know what you want to do?"

"Uh huh. I wanna make the Millennium Falcon."

"Beth, you can't make the Millennium Falcon."

"Why not? It's from _Star Wars_! It's Han Solo's _space_ ship. It's in space."

"Because it's not real."

"So?"

"So you need to pick something that is real, like a planet or the sun or the moon."

"Then I wanna make Tattooine or Naboo," Beth decided.

"Honey, I think you've been watching too much _Star Wars_ with your dad. How about we pick a planet in our solar system. Do you remember what some of the planets are called?

"Can I make a model of Uran-."

"You're doing Jupiter," Quinn decided before Beth could even finish her sentence.

"Mommy who is coming over later?" Beth questioned as they entered the store.

"Do you remember Aunt Rachel?" Quinn asked, searching for the aisle with paint and Styrofoam balls. "She was at our wedding last year and she lives, er _lived_, in New York City. You've been to New York but you were just a baby."

"I was?"

"Mmmhmm. I'll show you pictures when we get home. There was a big competition for our glee club and Daddy and I didn't want to leave you at home so grandma came with us."

"I don't remember that but I think I know who Aunt Rachel is. Why is she coming?"

"Well, she was working in New York and now she's not so she decided to come home for awhile."

"Why is she my aunt?"

"Just like Uncle Finn and Aunt Mercedes are. When your dad and I were in high school our closest group of friends were all in the glee club with us. They're like family to us and they've known you ever since you were born."

Quinn smiled at the memory of how supportive the glee club had been to her and Puck after all of their initial baby drama had died down. They had shown her what it meant to be part of a family. She was glad that they all managed to stay in touch for the most part even though they were all scattered across the United States. It was sort of her dream to one day plan a big glee club reunion so they could all _see_ each other again.

Quinn and Beth made it home in plenty of time for her to put the pizza rolls in the oven for Puck and Finn. When she took them down to the basement she wasn't surprised that the two men merely grunted their thanks while keeping their eyes glued to the TV screen. She could have told them that the house was burning down but unless she was standing directly in front of the screen or shut it off completely, neither Puck nor Finn would have noticed.

For the better part of the afternoon, Quinn helped Beth with her project. She didn't want to be one of those moms who did the entire model for their child and so she helped find pictures of Jupiter on the computer, covered the kitchen table in an old sheet, set the paints out for Beth and let her go to town on it. She knew it wouldn't be as neat or as aesthetically pleasing as some of the other models, but the teacher would know Beth did the assignment and her daughter would take pride in her work.

Not long after they cleaned up the mess and set the Styrofoam planet in a safe place to completely dry overnight, the doorbell rang. _Right on time,_ Quinn thought as she checked her hair in the hallway mirror on the way to the front door. _No surprise there_. She opened the door to reveal the petit brunette, but instead of her usual perky, effervescent expression she had a fake smile plastered on her face and instead of her normal clothes she was wearing a dark gray track suit.

"Rachel!" the tall blonde said, greeting her friend. "Come in."

"Is that Finn's truck?"

"Hi, it's nice to see you, too."

"I'm sorry," Rachel said, pulling Quinn into a hug. "It's lovely to see you. Is that Finn's truck?"

"Yes," Quinn sighed. "But _don't_ freak out. He's been downstairs with Puck all day."

"He's _here_? Like, actually in your house?"

"Yes, but-."

"Quinn, I can't stay here then."

"Why not? We're up here, he's down there. You were _both_ at our wedding and you seemed fine."

"That's because Kurt kept handing me vodka cranberries faster than you can say _Funny Girl_."

"Rachel, how old are we? Can we please act like adults? Finn has no idea that you're here, Puck's not going to tell him and honestly there could be an earthquake and neither one of them would notice a damn thing. So let's just pretend like you didn't even see his car and vary on with our evening. OK?

"You're right," Rachel replied, nodding her head. "You're right. Finn and I have been broken up for over two years and I've moved on. I'm your friend and he's Noah's. If I'm going to be home for an extended period of time we're bound to run into each other."

"Mommy! Can I have cookie dough yet?" Beth yelled from the kitchen, interrupting the rest of Rachel's speech.

"B-Bug, come here and say hello to Aunt Rachel."

Beth reluctantly trudged to the front door and stood next to Quinn.

"Hi," she said simply.

"Oh my goodness, Beth you've gotten so big. Do you remember me?"

"You sang really loud at the end of Mommy and Daddy's wedding," the little girl recalled and Quinn stifled a laugh, remembering how Rachel basically commandeered the microphone during the karaoke hour at the very end of the reception.

"Quinn, she is the spitting image of you."

"Thanks, I can't believe she's already seven."

"Time sure does fly. It seems like only yesterday we were all starting glee club and you hated my guts."

"Things change," Quinn shrugged happily. "Why are we just standing in the doorway? Let's go sit in the kitchen."

"Your house is beautiful, Quinn. I assume you did most of the decorating yourself?"

"Most of it. Can I get you something to drink? What kind of wine goes best with cookie dough and brownies?"

"I don't need wine," Rachel said. "I'd feel bad drinking it in front of you. By the way, congratulations."

"Thanks, and don't worry about it. I really don't mind."

"Well, if you insist," Rachel chuckled. "Anything white would be fine with me. When are you due? I think I remember seeing something on Facebook but I can't remember."

"March," Quinn said, surveying the fridge for a bottle of pinot.

"I'll bet Noah's excited."

"He is, maybe almost more than I am."

"What about you Beth? Are you excited to be a big sister?"

"I want a brother because I want to be the only princess and I can blame stuff on him."

"Beth, why don't you go down to the family room and watch a movie while Aunt Rachel and I talk? You'd get bored sitting up here anyway."

"OK, can I take a brownie with me?"

"Yes, but let's put it on a plate and you have to eat on the floor on a blanket," Quinn said standing from her seat. "Give me, like, five minutes to get her set up, Rachel. Puck doesn't let her touch the TV because it's his _baby_."

Quinn was happy that her daughter agreed to watch a movie so easily. Sometimes, it amazed her how laid back and easy going Beth could be about some things. It was a characteristic she clearly got from Puck. The girl was finally at the age where she could go off and play somewhere in the house and her mother really didn't have to worry about her breaking something or drawing on the walls. She loved to draw and color and could keep herself occupied for quite some time.

"OK, sorry about that," Quinn said, coming back up into the kitchen. She retrieved the cookie dough from the fridge and two spoons from the drawer and set them on the kitchen table along with the brownies and a glass of milk for herself.

"Don't worry about it," Rachel replied. "Wow, you know how to make a depressed girl happy."

"Wanna talk about it some more? You really didn't go into much detail the other night."

"Long story short, my life is in shambles. The show flopping was a complete disaster. My dad's asked me the other day if I wanted them to call my old therapist. I said _no_. I've been in New York for, what, just over five years? I was still in supporting roles and then I won the Tony. I had a chance to play a supporting role in a revival of _Carousel_ or take the lead in a new show. You know me, Quinn. I can't just sway in the background. Maybe it wasn't the smartest decision ever, but I had to try. Now that it's flopped who is going to hire me for a show? What if they think I'm cursed? If I don't work I can't pay for my apartment. The rent is already astronomical."

"You're still paying rent while you're living at home?"

"Well, I figure I'm going to go back there someday and I love my apartment."

"The other night, you said you called me because I was always honest with you," Quinn said. "Can I still be honest with you?"

Rachel nodded.

"I think that's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. Maybe it's just because I know how much Puck and I paid for apartments for years and I _know_ you're paying way more, but I think you need to start being practical about this."

"My lease isn't up until January."

"Sublet it. Come on, it's in a great location. You'd have it off of your hands in no time. Put an ad online."

"I'd still have to go there to show the apartment. I don't want to go back yet."

Quinn thought for a moment, trying to find a way through the situation. "I'll go with you," she said finally. "Put it online, see how many hits you get and schedule all of the showings for a Saturday and we'll get it done and be home that night or the next day."

"That could work," Rachel nodded. "But what about finding a job here. I'm not qualified to do anything."

"That's not true," Quinn disagreed. "You can sing and dance."

"Where's that going to get me a paying job in Lima? Maybe I should go back to school."

"Would that make you happy?"

"Quinn, I did what I thought would make me happy and I've been anything but for _years_. Maybe I need to try something new."

"When was the last time you were _really_ happy?" the blonde asked. "Like, I mean really, truly happy with your life."

"Honestly? Probably senior year of high school after we won Nationals. I knew who I was then. I was with my friends…with Finn. I thought things would be perfect in New York and, sure, I admit that I was a little naïve…"

Quinn gave her a skeptical look. "A little?"

"OK, a lot. But it's different there. It's not like the movies. It's not as glamorous as I thought it would be. I was working my ass off, I never saw Finn and I was lonely and miserable. I thought it'd be different once I started getting bigger parts but it was almost worse. After we broke up, I didn't care because I thought I could just throw myself into work and I'd be happy." Rachel trailed off and looked out the French doors that opened up to the big backyard and swing set. "But I'm not. Glee club was about opening yourself up to joy. I just want that feeling back. I wish I could do what Mr. Schue did for us."

"Why don't you?" Quinn asked matter-of-factly.

"What?"

"I said _why don't you_," she repeated.

'Why don't I what?" Rachel asked, confused.

"Do what Mr. Schue did for us. God, do I have to spell it out for you?"

"How do you expect me to do that? I'm not a teacher. I can't start a show choir and just teach kids stuff."

"Why don't you open up your own studio or something? You could teach little kids how to sing and dance."

"Are you saying _those who can't do, teach_?" Rachel accused.

"No. Look, you've _been_ to Broadway, you did make it. You have a Tony, but I think it's safe to say that you're a little disillusioned by it all. There's more than one way to live out your dreams."

"Still, where am I going to find studio space?"

"New strip malls go up daily. You could use a storefront or rent out part of an old house or something."

"How am I going to pay for that?"

"Take out a loan? Just to get on your feet?"

"Any space would have to be renovated. I can't do that by myself."

"Well, you're in luck," Quinn said, pulling her spoon of cookie dough out of her mouth. "I just happen to know an amazing contractor."

"Finn? No. Absolutely not. Do you know how awkward that would be?"

"It'll only be awkward if you make it awkward."

"If Finn is involved it will be awkward. That's the very definition of all things _Finn_."

"Believe it or not, Finn can be very professional when he wants to be. You should have seen him the first time Puck and I met with him to talk about building the house. If you're serious about it, you should just ask him or I'll ask him for you."

"He probably wouldn't do it," Rachel countered.

"From a business standpoint I don't see why he wouldn't. On a personal level, you _know_ he would do it if you asked him. He'd do anything for you."

"That's not exactly true."

"Are you an idiot? You know he's never seriously dated anyone since the two of your broke up?"

"How do you know?"

"Because I asked him. He didn't even bring a date to the wedding."

"It _would_ be fun to be able to share my talent and knowledge with young people. It would also be a fresh start, but what if I want to go back to New York?"

"You sell it and move back?"

"I guess I could…"

"Or you could sit around all day performing on the stage in your dads' basement. It's your choice."

"You would talk to Finn for me?"

"Sure, but you know, eventually you'll have to talk to him yourself about it."

As if on cue, the basement door opened and Finn and Puck came up the stairs. Quinn had honestly expected Rachel to be gone by the time the guys came up. Usually, after they watched football they would sit and play video games if Puck didn't have to work the next morning. One time, a couple of weeks ago she came down to the kitchen to get a glass of water and noticed that Puck still wasn't in bed and it was well past midnight. She had made her way down to the basement and found Puck and Finn still playing Call of Duty with blank states on their faces. She wouldn't have said she kicked Finn out, but she strongly encouraged him to go home before he fell asleep on their couch.

"Puck, I didn't think you guys would be up so soon," Quinn said, pushing herself out of the slouched position.

"Yeah, well the game's over and I work from seven to three-thirty tomorrow."

"Since when?"

"Since I told you last week that I picked up a shift for Higgins."

"Oh, I guess I forgot about that."

"Rachel, what are you doing here?" Finn asked. "Why aren't you in New York? Did you guys know she was coming?"

"I…well, I mean," Puck stammered, trying to decide how to answer the question.

"Hello to you, too Finn," Rachel interrupted. "I'm home visiting for…awhile. Quinn invited me over tonight."

"Quinn, you knew she was coming and you didn't even bother to tell me?"

"I didn't see a reason to," she shrugged. "I figured Rachel would be gone by the time you guys were done."

"Sorry, Rach. It's nice to see you again," Finn said genuinely. "I'm just a little more than surprised."

"Agreed. How are things with you? I heard you built this house."

"Yeah, well my company did anyway. How's New York?"

"It's…well, you know how it is."

Puck took a moment to glance at Quinn who returned his amused expression. It was as if they were watching a scene unfold between two awkward junior high students rather than two grown adults. Puck wasn't always the most insightful individual around but he could tell by the way Finn talked to Rachel in those few moments that he missed being with her. Rachel, on the other hand was a bit harder to read, but he knew from experience with Quinn that chicks kept their guards up a lot. One of the few things that Finn actually told him after the break up was that he felt like the city had changed Rachel and she wasn't the same girl he fell in love with when he went to visit her. She had a new, trendy group of friends that she was constantly trying to impress and he just didn't feel like he fit in with them.

"How long did you say you were in Lima for?"

"I didn't. I'm not really sure," Rachel said, softening a bit. "It could be for a little while. I just needed a little bit of a break, you know? A vacation. I haven't really had one since I went out there so it'll be nice to spend time with my dads."

"That sounds cool. I bet they miss you."

"They do, in fact they're sort of expecting me home soon."

"It's not even nine," Quinn stated, looking at the clock. "Did they really give you a curfew tonight?"

"No, not exactly. They just don't want me staying up too late."

"That's called a curfew," Puck explained, slowly exaggerating his words for her.

"Whatever, _Noah_. I do have to get going. Quinn, thanks for the chat and the junk food. I'll definitely think about what you said and let you know. Beth," she called up the stairs to the little girl who had gone up fifteen minutes earlier at her mother's request to get ready for a bath. "It was nice to see you again! Finn, maybe I'll see you around town."

"Yeah you, too. I need to get going, too. I'll walk you out."

"You make it sound like we live in a horrible neighborhood, dude," Puck said. "My squad car is parked out front."

"Shut up. I'll see you guys later. Thanks for the brownies, Quinn."

Puck followed their friends to the front door and waved them off before closing and locking it. He sighed contently as he walked back into the kitchen and saw Quinn clearing the table.

"I think I'm going to give B-Rex a bath and tuck her in. Care to join me?" he asked.

"I'd love to," she replied, leading him up the stairs.

After Beth was put to bed, Puck went to change out of his jersey and jeans and into a t-shirt and basketball shorts while Quinn decided to find out how much of a mess Finn and her husband left in the basement. They had thrown all of their beer bottles in the garbage, but there were bowls and plates on the floor still, along with a plethora of crumbs. She was busy trying to pick up the mess when Puck came down the stairs and stopped her.

"Babe, I'll clean up. You really don't have to. I was going to come back down."

"I believe you," Quinn replied, standing from the floor.

"Here, gimme those bowls," he said, taking them from her and setting them onto the end table. "You've done a lot today. You baked, you helped Beth out with her project, and you dealt with Rachel tonight."

"All in a day's work," she joked. "I can't believe I forgot that you work in the morning. Sara's glee club show is at four so you'll probably just have to meet us there. Beth and I are going to church with my mom and then brunch."

"Fun times. Hey, let's just chill down here for awhile."

"Here? In your Man cave? You're going to let me stay down here?"

"Well, you know," Puck said, setting his hands on Quinn's hips and drawing her closer to himself. "We haven't christened the Man cave yet."

"That's right, we haven't…" she agreed.

"I think we need to change that," he suggested, placing a kiss on her lips before pulling away. "Tonight."

Quinn smiled as she leaned forward and joined their lips together again while wrapping her arms around Puck's neck. Her fingers raked across the back of his neck and took a hold of his t-shirt; giving him the gentle hint that he needed to rid himself of the pesky material. He broke their kisses just long enough to pull it up and over his head before sinking onto the large, overstuffed sofa and pulling Quinn into his lap. He maneuvered her so that she was straddling his hips, peeled her light gray shirt from her body and ran his hands up and down the sides of her torso.

"What's this?" he asked playfully, gliding a finger along the slight curve of her abdomen.

"If I have to explain to you how _that_ got there, I think we might have a problem."

"Hmmm I think I might remember now," Puck said, leaning her back in his strong arms so that he could drop a kiss to her stomach and leave a trail up past the valley of her breasts and across her neck and jaw before making his way back to her lips. "I think we need to switch things around. Make you more comfortable."

Puck stood up, holding Quinn close to him and gently laid her back down on the couch, hovering above her. He shuddered when she ran a single finger up and down his spine and nipped playfully at his lips, tugging on the bottom one

"Damn, you're perfect," he murmured against her warm skin. "Every inch."

Kissing her lips, he let one of his hands stray down her body.

"So what are you waiting for?" she asked seductively.

That was all the further encouragement Puck need to get rid of Quinn's panties. He positioned himself at her entrance and pushed forward slowly until he filled her completely. Quinn moaned into his mouth and wrapped her legs around his waist, bringing him as close to her as possible. What began as a slow paced picked up into a steady rhythm that Puck controlled based on the reaction he received from Quinn. As he rocked against her, she began to meet him thrust for thrust, eliciting a groan from him as he dropped his head to her shoulder and began to suck on her collarbone.

"Puck," she panted. "I'm so close."

Lifting his head, he pressed his lips to hers and kissed her deeply, letting his tongue duel with Quinn's. She felt herself coming undone and her back arched up off of the sofa as her head fell back. She had to bite her lip to keep from crying out too loudly, remembering that their daughter was sound asleep upstairs.

"Oh my God," she breathed, her lips forming an "O" shape as she rode out her orgasm.

"That's it baby," Puck whispered into her ear, nibbling lightly on the lobe. "I'm right there with you."

"Come with me, Noah," Quinn said.

When Puck heard Quinn call him by name and felt her walls flutter and clamp down around him, he knew his own release was not far away. He pumped into her a few more times before grunting her name and reaching his climax.

"I love you, Quinn," he said, kissing her closed eyes until the fluttered open.

"Mmm, I love you, too," she replied, pecking him on the nose. "That was amazing."

"_You_ were amazing. It's been too long, babe."

"Consider your Man cave officially christened now."

"Thank you," Puck said, shifting so that he was on his side against the back of the couch and bringing Quinn closer to him. He reached up and pulled the blanket that was resting on the top of the couch over them, dropping a kiss to his wife's shoulder.

"Oh you shouldn't have done that," Quinn sighed. "Now I'm never going to want to get up."

"We don't really have to, at least not yet."

"But we will eventually. You have to get up in six hours and I'm going to be really sore if I fall asleep on this couch even though I'm so comfy right now."

"Am I going to have to carry you all the way up to our room?"

"No, I'll be able to make it up there as long as you don't let me fall asleep."

"Knowing you, that won't take very long. Do you want to head up there now?"

Quinn sighed heavily, rolling her head against Puck's arm that it was resting on. "I guess so." She pushed herself up and stood from the sofa, taking the blanket with her and wrapping it around her body. She searched around the floor for Puck's shorts and tossed them to him. The pair trudged up the stairs, Puck placing his hand on the small of her back for support. While he ducked his head into Beth's room, Quinn continued on to the bedroom. She dropped the blanket onto the bed, replacing it with a pair of her most comfortable boy-short panties and one of Puck's old WMHS t-shirts. They crawled into bed together, exchanging goodnight kisses before Quinn tucked her head into the crook of her husband's neck and fell asleep.

XXXXX

Quinn checked her watch for the third time since she arrived at the April Rhodes Civic Pavilion, otherwise known as the WMHS auditorium.

"He's going to be late," Ruth muttered, clearly on the same wavelength as her daughter-in-law.

"He's coming right from work so maybe he was held up on a call or something. He still has seven or so minutes."

As Quinn waited for Puck to arrive she thought back on all of the times she had spent in the auditorium, all of the performances she had been a part of over the course of her high school career. They had some really good times and some not so good times. Eying Emma across the room, Quinn waved to her friend who was most likely waiting for Mr. Schue to finish giving the kids his pre-show pep talk. Unexpectedly, a young man in a letterman jacket and backwards baseball cap came and plopped down next to Ruth.

"Sup, Mrs. P? Totally almost forgot about this thing until Sara texted me," the teenager said.

"Well it was nice of you to show up," Ruth replied. "Shane, this is my daughter-in-law, Quinn but you might know her as Mrs. Puckerman at school, and my granddaughter Beth. Shane is Sara's boyfriend."

"What's up," he said with a nod of his head.

"It's nice to finally meet you," Quinn replied. "Sara's told me a lot about you."

"Hopefully she left all of the bad stuff out. So you, like, teach at school or something?"

"Yes, Sophomore and Senior honors English."

"Oh, that's why I've never seen you before. I'm definitely not in honors classes. You're one of the hot young teachers at school."

With literally only a few minutes left before the show began, Puck came bustling through the back door in his uniform with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. He quickly took his seat next to Beth and leaned over to kiss Quinn.

"Sorry," he said. "Traffic was a pain and the line at the grocery store sucked."

"Whoa man, who called the po-po," Shane joked.

"I'm sorry, who are you?"

"Honey, that's Shane, Sara's boyfriend," Quinn explained with a look that said _you better behave and at least try to be nice._

"Nice to meet you," Puck said curtly, standing up to extend his hand.

"Likewise, dude," Shane replied casually. "Sara talks a lot about you."

"Did she tell you I carry a gun, like, all the time?"

"Puck!" Quinn gasped.

"It's alright. I can tell he's joking. You're funny, man."

"Ha-ha. Why don't you take your hat off, you're inside of a building."

Quinn pulled Puck back and forced him to sit down just as the lights were dimming. "Will you stop interrogating him?" she hissed. "Be nice."

The show was actually good, better than the one the previous year. Because she was a senior, Sara for to perform a solo and she accompanied herself on the guitar. Puck smiled through the whole thing, really proud of his kid sister for everything she had accomplished. Afterwards, Sara came out and met her family in the lobby. Puck had handed Beth the flowers to give to her aunt and Quinn hugged her tightly and told her how well she sang.

"Really, Sara," she said. "That was beautiful."

"Yeah, babe," Shane agreed. "You were great. At least, I think you were. I sort of might have fallen asleep."

Sara looked momentarily crestfallen at her boyfriend's words but quickly brushed them off. "That's OK. I know football is rough on you right now so I'll just sing it for you later tonight."

"Sounds awesome."

Even though she could tell Shane was faking his enthusiasm, Quinn kept an arm firmly around Puck's waist, pinching his side lightly to make sure he stayed in check. Despite the poor impression Shane was making on all of them, Quinn didn't want anybody making a scene and ruining Sara's day. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the familiar face of one of the other show choir members, one of her students she just happened to know on a personal level.

"Stevie," she said. "You did a great job. I hope your mom and dad filmed it so they can send it to Sam. He'd be impressed.

"Thanks, Mrs. Puckerman," the shy blonde young man said. "He helped me pick out the song so I hope it went well."

Stevie Evans was Sam's younger brother and ever since their family had moved to Lima, he and Sara had become friends. It started when Sam brought him along to Puck's house on a few occasions and they were also in the same grade at school. Over the years, Stevie and Sara had become best friends and Quinn couldn't help but wonder if there was something more than just friendship between them. Once when she had asked her sister-in-law about it, the girl shook her head and wrinkled her nose.

"Stevie?" she had said. "He's my best friend. That would be so weird."

Still, Quinn couldn't help but see it as a possibility. Stevie was very much like his older brother, although he played basketball instead of football and had only recently hit his growth spurt. Most of all, Quinn liked him because he was polite and kind and she noticed the way he glanced at Sara from time to time.

"This is for you, Sara," he said, handing her a single rose. "You did a really awesome job on your solo."

"Thanks, Stevie," she replied, pulling him into a hug.

"Hey, Evans. You wanna back off my girlfriend?" Shane interrupted.

"Don't be a dork. Stevie's my best friend, remember?"

"Yeah, whatever. I've got my eye on you, man."

"Right," Stevie said, not at all phased by Shane. "Well, I should get going. Mom, Dad and Stacey are taking me out to dinner. Breadstix, yeah! Catch you later, Sara. Great job again."

Quinn knew that Puck would have plenty to say about Sara's boyfriend once they were alone and she was thankful that she didn't have to ride home with him. She figured that he would cool down a bit on the ride and would only be mildly annoyed by the time he got back to the house.

"What a freakin' punk," he said, walking into the house only moments after Quinn. "Seriously, could he be any more of an ass?"

"Puck, we've only met him once. We can't really make snap judgments about him."

"Ummm yes, I can. I'm a cop. We're taught how to read people and I can already tell he's no good. What does my mom say about him?"

"Not much," Quinn shrugged. "I guess they've only met a handful of times."

"He fell _asleep_ during her show! I might have to have a talk with this kid."

"Sara's almost eighteen. I think she can take care of herself. How would you have liked it if people told me not to date you?"

"They _did_. Your mom did repeatedly."

"Exactly, and did I listen to her? Do you _really_ think Sara would listen to you about this?"

Puck sighed and shook his head. If there was one person in the world who was just as stubborn, if not more so, than he was, it was his younger sister. She was so headstrong and independent about things that it almost worried him. He still thought of her as his kid sister and had a hard time accepting the fact that she was getting older and getting interested in boys. He just wanted to protect her.

"By any chance did you buy olives when you were at the store?" Quinn asked, her head poking out from behind the fridge door."

"No, I didn't know I was supposed to," Puck replied.

"It's on the list."

"It's the _only_ thing on the list. We usually just wait until the list is almost full."

"Not when I'm craving olives. You were _at_ the store today!"

"I didn't have the list with me. Plus, I was just trying to get in and out as quickly as possible so I could make it to Sara's show on time."

"Because two extra minutes would have really killed you."

"You want olives?" Puck asked, clearly exasperated. "I don't mind running out to get you olives, but it's not _my_ fault I didn't get them earlier."

"I know," Quinn said, closing the door. "I'm sorry. Would you please run to the store for me?"

"Yes. Is there anything else you can think of? Is your bacon reserve low?"

"Oh it's fine. Just olives. The green ones, not the black ones. I'll call you if I think of anything else though."

"What about dinner? It's almost six-thirty and we haven't eaten anything yet."

"I was going to make some pasta and garlic bread because it's fast and easy," Quinn suggested.

"That's what she said."

"Goodbye. Have fun at the store."

Quinn began to fill a pot of water once Puck left and searched the cabinet for a jar of pasta sauce when Beth trudged into the kitchen wearing a sad look on her face.

"What's wrong B-Bug?" she asked, turning on the stove top to boil the water.

"Were you and Daddy fighting?" Beth asked.

"No. I mean… sort of. We had a disagreement but we weren't fighting."

"Are you and Daddy gonna get divorced?"

"What?" Quinn asked, turning her full attention to her daughter now. "Sweetie, no. What on earth would make you think that?"

"Melissa in my class said that her mom and dad are getting divorced because they fight and her daddy moved out," Beth explained. "And you and Daddy were fighting."

"Beth, come here." Quinn pulled out a chair from the kitchen table and sat down, taking the little girl onto her lap. "Listen to me. Your Daddy and I aren't getting divorced. Sometimes, people have arguments and disagreements, but that doesn't mean they're going to stop being together. I love your dad very _very_ much. He's not going anywhere, I promise."

"Not like before?" she asked. "When we were in college?"

Quinn froze for a moment. Beth never brought up the short period of time that her parents had broken up during their senior year of college. In a way, it was almost as if it had never happened and, most of the time, Quinn preferred to pretend that it hadn't. She certainly didn't like to think about it if she could help it, but now that Beth brought it up, it was almost impossible _not_ to think about it.

_XXX_

_Quinn sat on the sofa in their apartment, staring at the wall and thinking about what she had overheard earlier that week. She was working that semester in one of the officers of the English department. She made copies for professors, put together packets and took messages while the secretary was on break. One day she was on her way to the break room when she overhead two of the female professors talking, one of them clearly distressed about something. Normally, Quinn wasn't one to eavesdrop but for some reason she just couldn't help herself that day. _

"_And that's it," the distraught woman said. "He just packed his things and left. He said he couldn't do it anymore."_

"_How long were the two of your together?" the other professor asked. _

"_Fifteen years. Since college. He just said that things weren't the same anymore. He woke up one day and felt like we weren't the same people, felt like he was trapped in a life he never really wanted."_

"_How are the kids holding up?"_

"_They're old enough to know what's going on, to know that their dad is leaving me."_

_Quinn quickly left the hallway and headed back to the office, clearly shaken by what she had heard. It weighed on her for three whole days to the point where she couldn't focus on her lectures or homework. _

_Trapped__. The word rang through Quinn's head every time she looked at Puck. Did he feel trapped? Of course, the logical part of her brain said 'no', but the irrational part- where her fears sat and stewed- told her 'yes, he was trapped, was only with her out of a sense of loyalty to their daughter and one day he would reach his breaking point'. Quinn couldn't let that happen, couldn't let him grow to hate her. She loved him more than anything and the last thing she wanted to do was hold him back. She also knew that there was no way she would ever survive if one day, fifteen years from then, he left her._

_That was why she decided that they needed a break. She thought Puck deserved to be free of her for awhile to see if he found anyone better, anyone he wanted to be with more. As much as she loved him, or perhaps because she loved him so much, she didn't want to- couldn't- ruin his life. 'If you love something let it go. If it comes back to you, it's yours forever. If it doesn't then it was never meant to be,' she told herself, repeating the familiar adage. _

_She waited for Puck to get home from working at the bar. Normally she would have been in bed when he got off and her presence on the couch startled him when he walked through the door. _

"_What are you still going up, babe?" he asked quietly. _

"_I wanted to talk to you," she said once she stopped chewing on her thumb nail._

"_Is everything OK? Is Beth Ok?"_

"_She's fine. I don't know how else to say this so I'm just going to…ummm…say it. I think maybe we should take a break."_

"_What do you mean? Take a break from what?"_

"_From each other," Quinn said in a voice no louder than a whisper. _

"_Why?" Puck asked. "Did I…did I do something wrong? Baby, I don't understand." _

"_No, that's just it."_

"_Quinn, you're not making any sense. Where is all of this coming from?"_

"_I don't want you to hate and resent me one day."_

"_What? What would give you the idea that I could _ever_ hate or resent you? When have I ever said that I felt that way?"_

"_You haven't," Quinn replied, trying hard to remember to keep her voice low. "But you will. One day you're going to wake up next to me and thing 'what the fuck did I do?' and you're not going to want to be with me anymore and you're going to leave me and I just wouldn't be able to deal with that. I couldn't bear it if you stopped loving me one day."_

"_Quinn, that will _never_ happen," Puck said, taking her hands in his. "I will never stop loving you."_

"_I don't want you to feel trapped."_

"_I don't!"_

"_You say that now but what about fifteen years from now?"_

"_I don't want anybody else."_

"_How do you know? We've been together since high school. What if…what if there's someone out there who's better for you than me?"_

"_There isn't." _

"_But you don't know that."_

"_I'm not letting you break up with me," Puck said defiantly. _

"_I'm not breaking up with you," Quinn replied. "We just need some time apart."_

"_Don't do this, please. What about Beth?"_

"_You know I'd never keep you from seeing her whenever you wanted to. Don't make this harder than it already is."_

"_It doesn't have to BE hard. We can just stay this way. Nothing is wrong with us."_

"_That just it!" Quinn quietly exclaimed. "We're _too_ perfect."_

"_That's bullshit and you know it. What are you so afraid?"_

"_Please do what I'm asking you to do," Quinn said, tears falling down her cheeks. "If you love me, just give me some time."_

_It was a low blow but she knew it would work on him and when she found the nerve to look at him, Puck had his head in his hands, shaking it slowly. _

"_I still don't understand any of this," he said with a heavy sigh. "But…if you want me to leave for a little while…I will. But I'm gonna come see Beth everyday and this won't last for long. You'll see."_

"_Where are you going to stay?" Quinn asked. _

"_Probably in a motel for the night. It's too late to call anyone."_

"_Puck, I don't want you to stay in a motel. You can stay here tonight."_

"_Quinn, I can't be in the same room as you without wanting to touch you and I can't be in the same bed without wanting to hold you. If we're doing this break thing, I can't stay here." _

"_I'm sorry." _

"_Me, too. I'm gonna pack some stuff."_

_Puck honestly couldn't process everything that was running through his head that night. Part of him told him to stay, to fight but another part of him thought he should give Quinn the space she needed, the time she wanted and hope and pray that she would come around sooner rather than later. In a way, he felt like maybe they needed to be apart so that she would realize how much they needed one another. _

_He packed some shirts, jeans and underwear into a duffle bag. Finally, he reached into a gym bag he kept under his side of their bed and pulled out the small black velvet box he had hidden there. He opened it and looked at the diamond engagement ring tucked inside of it. It was his grandmother's ring. He'd asked for it over the summer because he'd finally saved up enough money to afford the stone he thought she deserved. It had come back from the jewelers a few weeks ago and he was just waiting for the perfect time to give it to her. He was tempted to leave it in the bag but decided to bring it with him to remind himself that they would get back together and when they did he was going to give it to her._

_He zipped up his bag and crept into Beth's room. He wanted to kiss her, to tell her goodbye but he didn't want to wake her. He felt like he was leaving half of his heart (actually all of it since the other half belonged to Quinn) but he knew he would see her every day. He was just worried she would be confused by the fact that her mommy and daddy loved each other but weren't going to be living together for a time._

_Puck walked back to the living room and Quinn stood from the couch. He took her face in his hands and placed a gentle, lingering kiss on her forehead, sighing as he pulled away. _

"_I love you, Quinn." _

"_I love you, too. I'm sorry…I just-." _

"_I should go."_

_Quinn watched Puck walk out the door and sat back down on the couch, pulling her knees underneath her chin and crying herself to sleep. _

_X_

_The next three weeks were a haze for Quinn. Every day she just felt as if she was going through the motions. Puck would come over to see Beth each day after she got home from school. After the first week, she stopped crying every time he left. It didn't take Quinn long to realize how utterly miserable she was without Puck and it didn't take Beth long to pick up on it. One day, three weeks after they had started their break, Puck took Beth out for ice cream and absentmindedly asked how Quinn was doing. _

"_Mommy seems sad all the time now," Beth said, looking out her window. "Sometimes, I hear her crying. I think she wants you to come home. Did she ask you to come home? I think she needs you."_

_At the moment, Puck thought his daughter was the smartest five-year-old he knew. He also knew that he was done messing around and giving Quinn the space she thought she wanted. Sure, he'd heard the dumbass phrase 'If you love something left it go, blah blah blah…' _

'_Fuck that,' he thought. 'Whoever said that wasn't man enough to fight for what he wanted.'_

_That night when he brought Beth back he asked Quinn if he could stay to give her a bath and put her to bed. She easily agreed and tried not to think about how much she missed this nightly ritual with him. After they read Beth a story and saw that she was soundly asleep they tiptoed from her room and shut the door behind them. Quinn started to walk back towards the living room but Puck caught her hand in his. _

"_I miss you," he said, stroking his thumb over the top of her hand. _

"_I miss you, too," she admitted, nibbling on her bottom lip. "So much." _

"_I don't care what you say, or if you try and push me out of the fucking door, I'm not leaving tonight Quinn. I'm done with this break bullshit. I know you're scared, but I'm asking you to trust me. Who cares about what happens in other people's lives? They're the same people who would have taken one look at us and said that we couldn't raise a baby and we are and we're doing a damn good job, too. This is __our_ _life Quinn. This is me and you and I don't want to be with somebody else. Not now, not ever. I love you and I don't want to spend another day and another night if it's not with you and Beth. I love you too much to walk out that door again. I shouldn't have left in the first place."_

"_I shouldn't have asked you to," Quinn said, tearing running freely down her cheeks. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I've only ever wanted to be with you and then I go and mess shit up because of my insecurities. I wanted you to come back that night. I haven't slept in weeks but I didn't know how to ask you to come back either. I didn't really think I deserved for you to come back." _

"_Don't ever say that again. You deserve the best of everything Quinn. I've told you that before."_

"_Promise me you'll never let me do anything stupid like that again?" Quinn asked, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tight. _

"_I promise," he said, drinking in the scent of her hair and placing a light kiss on her head. "You look exhausted, babe. I think we need to get you to bed. I'm gonna run out to the car to get my bag." _

_When Puck came back into the apartment, Quinn had already made her way to their bedroom and was waiting for him in bed. _

"_I just want you to hold me," she said as he stripped off his jeans and t-shirt. _

"_Absolutely," he replied, taking her into his arms, reveling in how she fit against him so perfectly and thinking about how much he had missed her. _

_X_

_The next morning, Puck woke before Quinn and somehow managed to slip out from her hold on him. He figured she was so out of it because she had been so exhausted from the lack of sleep she received over the past few weeks, not the he had slept any better. He reached into his duffle bag and pulled out the small black box he had brought with him. Checking the ring one last time he felt a smile creep onto his face. Most guys were terrified of something like that and yet he'd never felt more certain of almost anything in his life. He wasn't with Quinn out of some sense of duty or obligation. He was with her because he loved her and he wanted her to be his for the rest of their lives. _

_He climbed back into bed and pressed a kiss to her temple, grinning as her perfect face wrinkled up into a frown. He knew he should probably let her sleep some more but he was too excited. _

"_Come on, wake up sleepyhead," he said. _

"_What time is it?" Quinn asked, lifting her head up. _

"_Time to wake up. I have something for you. I've had it for awhile actually and now I don't want to wait anymore before I give it to you."_

_Quinn "humphed" as she pushed herself up in the bed and rested against the backboard. "I'm up," she said with a smile. _

_Puck took Quinn's left hand in his and ran his thumb over the claddagh ring, thinking back to all of those years ago when he first gave it to her and when he put it on her left hand after Burt and Carole's wedding. Gently, he took it between his thumb and index finger and wiggled it off of her finger. _

"_I told you all those years ago when I put this ring on your finger that I would never be with anyone else and I meant it," he began. "You're it for me. I said that one day I'd get you the type of ring you deserved, the type of ring that was worthy of how much we love each other."_

"_Oh my God," Quinn breathed. _

"_Quinn, I've been waiting a long time to say this," Puck said, taking the ring out of the box and holding it up to her. "Will you marry me?"_

"_Yes," she nodded, tears immediately welling up in her eyes. "One thousand times yes." _

_Puck wasted no time in sliding the ring onto her finger and kissing her deeply, wrapping her in his warm embrace. _

"_Thank God you said 'yes'. It'd be weird giving my grandma her ring back with a different diamond in it." _

"_The fact that after all of this, you still want me…" Quinn began but was cut off by Puck placing his finger over her lips. _

"_Shhh. I've always wanted you and I'm always _going_ to want you. 'Til death do us part, right?"_

_XXXXX_

"Beth asked me if we were getting divorced," Quinn said, fiddling with her wedding ring while she and Puck were lying in bed later that night.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

"Mmmhmmm. She said she heard us fighting about those damn olives and because one of her friend's parents fought they're getting divorced."

"They were just olives," Puck said, still trying to figure out how an argument about olives could possibly lead to divorce.

"I know."

"I hope you told her it was her little brother or sister's fault for making you want them all the time."

"I definitely did not tell her that. I just told her that we love each other very much and that we're not getting divorced. I told her that sometimes people don't always agree but that doesn't mean they don't love each other."

"Good save, babe," he said, tucking her further into his arms.

"I'm still not sure she was convinced though," Quinn replied over her shoulder. "Like, she was content with my answer but I think it would be nice to hear it from you, too."

"I'll mention it when I take her to school tomorrow."

"Thanks. I'd just feel better about it. I don't want her thinking about things like that, you know?"

"I'll tell her Mommy would have to beat me off with a stick before I'd ever consider it."

"If you forget the olives again I might beat you with a stick," Quinn joked.

"The funny things is, I'm not entirely sure you're joking."

"Oh ha ha. Goodnight."

"Night, baby," Puck said, kissing her neck. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Quinn replied, pulling his arms around her just a little bit more.

**Please review :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Welcome to Chapter 4! This chapter is pretty much spread over the month of October. The good news is that I already have about twelve pages of the next chapter typed up because I wrote them this summer so Chapter 5 shouldn't take nearly as long to post. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Xo-Katie**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or **_**Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman**_** by Bryan Adams. **

Quinn pulled up to Rachel's dad's house and took the keys out of the ignition. She wasn't quite sure if she was ready for the next couple of day they had ahead of them, but she wasn't about to go back on her promise to help Rachel show her apartment in New York. She tried to remain as positive about the weekend as possible and was fueled by the fact that she would get to see Mercedes, Kurt and Sam. They decided to go over Columbus Day weekend because Quinn had the day off on Monday and would be able to get some things done that she would be missing out on over the course of the weekend.

She walked up the front walk and knocked on the door. Rachel answered it right away and ushered her into the house.

"Are you ready?" Quinn asked.

"Yeah, I just need to grab my bag and we'll be all set to go," Rachel replied. "Thanks for driving. I didn't really have a use for a car in New York. I pretty much just used public transportation everywhere I went."

"Not a problem. Do you have all of the hotel confirmation information for when we get to Cleveland?"

Due to the fact that Cleveland was about three hours from Lima, Quinn and Rachel had decided to stay there overnight so they could take the 7am flight to New York. They hoped to make it to the city by noon so they could begin the interviews they had scheduled.

"I do! I have everything we need in a little folder and my bags are just in the other room."

"Do you mind if we stop at a rest stop on the way there?" Quinn asked, popping her trunk open so Rachel could place her bag into it. "I haven't eaten anything for dinner yet. I had a snack after school just before practice so I want to eat some real food."

"Oh sure. I'm probably going to need some sort of caffeine."

The pair began their journey, stopping at about the halfway point at a rest stop so Quinn could grab a quick chicken Caesar salad with bacon bits on the side. It was important to her to try and eat as healthily as possibly while still satisfying some of her cravings. Now that she was well into her fourth month, she was struck with a series of nightly cravings and every once and a while Puck had to run out to the store for her while she stayed at home in bed. It was common for him to call or text her if he worked the afternoon shift and got off at eleven to ask if there was anything she needed before he came home. When he worked the midnight shift it was a little more difficult.

"When was the last time you saw Kurt, Sam and Mercedes?" Quinn asked between mouthfuls of her salad.

"Ummm they came to the premiere of my show, I think. I didn't really get to see them afterward but they said they were there."

"But you didn't really see them?"

"No. I guess the last time I actually say them was…last year?"

"At my wedding?"

"…Maybe?" Rachel replied reluctantly.

"Seriously? You lived in the same city as them and you haven't seen them in just over a year?"

"We're all busy! I couldn't help it. I'm sorry I don't talk to Mercedes once a week like you do."

"Well we're all catching up now so I guess that's all that matters. I'm done," Quinn said, tossing her napkin on her try. "Let's get you some coffee and we can be on our way."

Quinn treated for Rachel's coffee and got herself an herbal tea from the small coffee shop at the rest stop. She knew Rachel wasn't exactly raking in the dough at the moment- which was why she had also insisted on paying for the hotel room. She reasoned that it was only fair because they were staying at Rachel's apartment on Saturday night. They arrived at their hotel near the airport just after ten that night and checked into their room. The door had barely closed before Quinn claimed one of the beds and plopped down on her back.

"It feels so nice to stretch out sometimes," she said, reaching out far above her head and then smoothing her hands over her small but noticeable bump.

"Awww that's so cute," Rachel replied. "I hadn't noticed you were showing under your jacket. I feel like you didn't show this early with Beth."

"Supposedly you show earlier the second time around or something."

"You said you're not finding out the sex this time?"

"Mmmhmmm," Quinn confirmed, sitting up against the headboard. "We want to be surprised but I have a hunch it's going to be a boy."

"Is that what Noah wants?"

"Puck actually says he wants another girl or that he'd be happy either way. I'm the one who wants a boy."

"Why's that?"

"Because, I want him to be able to teach our little boy everything he know, but I think he's worried about messing him up or something. He still sees himself as this punk-ass bad kid. He keeps telling me that _boys are nothing but trouble_."

"What are he and Beth doing this weekend?" Rachel asked, kicking off her boots.

"They're going on a daddy-daughter date night tomorrow. I'm not sure exactly what he's got planned, but I know she's really excited. Crap," Quinn cursed, reaching for her phone. "That reminds me; I was supposed to call Puck to let him know we got here OK."

"Do you want me to give you some privacy?" Rachel asked awkwardly.

"What? No, of course not. I'm just checking in."

Quinn dialed Puck's number and waited for him to answer. She knew Beth was already asleep, or _should _have been asleep and figured that he was probably already zonked out on the couch himself. She felt bad waking him up but knew he would be even more upset with her if she didn't call to let him know she had arrived safely. Quinn decided that his protectiveness was more adorable than annoying and so she could tolerate it.

"He babe," he answered after the third ring.

"Hi there. Just wanted to let you know that we made it to Cleveland OK. We got in about fifteen minutes ago but we were getting settled into the room."

"Good. Don't worry, Beth's in bed and she's looking forward to tomorrow."

"What are you guys doing?"

"Not telling."

"Why not? I'm not the one who's going with you."

"Because," Puck sighed. "You know how she's going to want to tell you all about it when you get home so this way you'll seem surprised when she tells you."

"OK, that makes sense," Quinn conceded. "I should let you go. I'm kind of beat and we have an early start tomorrow."

"What time does your flight take off?"

"Seven. Which means we need to get there by six to make sure we get through security with enough time."

"Ouch. Well I hope you get a good night's sleep. You know you can call me if you have problems falling asleep."

"I know," Quinn smiled, thinking of the time she stayed with Mercedes in Chicago and called Puck late in the night when she couldn't fall asleep. "I'll probably call and text you at some point tomorrow night."

"Alright. Tell everyone I said _hey_," he said.

"I will."

"Love you, baby."

"Love you, too," Quinn echoed and ended the call.

"You guys are so cute," Rachel observed.

"Don't tell Puck that. He hates that word. I'm going to shower now so that I don't have to wake up quite as early in the morning."

"I might be passed out when you get out, so goodnight. Quinn."

"Night Rachel," she replied, gathering her pajamas out of her suitcase and closing the bathroom door behind her.

XXX

Quinn and Rachel made it to their gate the next morning with plenty of time to spare. They ate a small breakfast from one of the vendors before boarding their plane. Quinn had never known Rachel to be afraid of anything- except for flying. The entire glee club had become aware of it when they flew to New York for nationals their Senior Year. She kept talking about being worried that the plane would hit a bird and be forced to land in the river or something like that. It took everything they had to convince her to sit down and fasten her seat belt.

"Have you ever thought about taking something when you fly?" Quinn asked as she watched Rachel glance around the cabin of the plane anxiously.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't they make sedatives or something to help people relax when they fly?"

"I guess so, but I really don't fly too often. I'll be fine as long as I have someone to talk to. How much longer until we get there?"

"Rachel, we haven't even taken off yet."

"Right, I knew that. Could we just take off already? That's the worst part…and landing…and the part in between."

"You know, it's times like this that I _really_ wish I could drink," Quinn joked.

"I'm sorry, this is just my irrational fear. Like I said, as long as you distract me, I'll be OK."

"What do you want to talk about? Do you have to go to your happy place or something?"

"No, it can be anything," Rachel said as the plane began to taxi on the runway. "What are we doing?"

"Taxiing on the runway so we can take off. Won't be long now. Do you want to talk about your studio? Have you given it any extra thought?"

"I have. I think I want to do it. My dads offered to lend me some money if I needed it for the first couple months of rent. I think I have enough money saved up to pay for any of the renovations that we might need to make to the space. I have no idea how much it's going to cost though, so I could be wrong."

"You could always talk to Finn about it," Quinn said in a sing-song voice.

"I know it's something I should do, I just don't know if I can."

"He's not going to bite. You two seemed to get along well enough the other night when you both left my house. What'd you guys talk about on your way to the car?"

"Nothing much. He said it was really nice to see me, at least twice. It _was_ nice to see him. A little unexpected, but nice. Really made me feel like I was at home again."

"Mmmhmm," Quinn nodded knowingly as the plane began to take off. "I bet it was."

"What? Don't try and put words into my mouth."

"I don't have to, I _know_ you missed him."

"I'm not going to deny that," Rachel said, closing her eyes to try and take her mind off of the plane climbing through the air. "But it took me a _long_ time to get over him. Plus, I just don't know if I'm ready to be in any kind of a relationship. I want to work on me. "

"That's great and I love that attitude, but I think you should just be open -minded. Whatever is meant to be will happen. I just don't want you to close yourself off to the possibility of something with anyone just because you're afraid to."

"I'm not afraid, per se. But I think I understand your point."

For the next hour and a half, Quinn and Rachel talking about what kind of studio that could be made for the budget Rachel was working with. She wanted to give singing lessons as well as tap, jazz and ballet classes. Quinn wasn't sure if Rachel would be teaching all of the classes herself or not but she knew if anyone could do all of that alone, Rachel could.

"Isn't your birthday coming up soon?" Rachel asked just as the plane was beginning its final decent into New York.

"Yeah," Quinn replied. "It's in a couple of weeks."

"I can't believe we're going to be twenty-four. I mean, I can but it just doesn't seem like we've been out of high school for that long already. Is Puck doing anything special for your birthday?"

"I don't know yet. Knowing him, he probably has something up his sleeve but I don't know what."

"You're lucky he remembers your birthday and anniversaries."

"Oh believe me, he has his idiot moments, but he is really good when it comes to making things special and romantic."

Quinn was startled when Rachel gripped her wrist as the plane dropped onto the tarmac abruptly and the brunette let out a squeal.

"Sorry, that freaks me out every time."

"Are you ready for this day of fun?" Quinn asked sarcastically.

"You know what? I am. This is a good step in the right direction. I'm ready so let's do this."

XXX

Puck woke up early that morning to get a head start on his daddy-daughter day with Beth. He was excited to spend the entire day alone with her, even if it meant missing out on an afternoon of college football. He took a quick shower and headed downstairs to start making breakfast. In the Puckerman household, whenever Puck said he was making breakfast it could only mean one thing was on the menu: waffles. He didn't really know what it was about them but he loved them almost as much as he loved his Bubbe's chocolate chip pancakes. It was also one of the first dishes he'd ever learned how to make by himself.

Maybe it started when he was a kid and his mom would leave for work at the hospital just before he left for school. He wasn't a fan of pop-tarts and milk and cereal didn't really lend itself to being an easy breakfast on the go. One day while shopping with his mom (someone had to carry all of the bags of groceries) they passed the waffles in the frozen food aisle. He'd tossed them in the cart and never looked back. It wasn't until he spent the summer with his grandparents that he learned how to make them from scratch and use a waffle iron by himself. He still had a scar on his arm from where he burned it that year on the hot metal.

Some might have said that it was just stupid or lame for an eleven-year-old boy to enjoy cooking, but for Puck it began more out of necessity than anything else. He loved his mom and she was often pretty tired when she came home from work. He couldn't remember if she had asked him to help one day or if he had volunteered, but it became a routine for him to help her make dinner. As soon as she came home, Ruth would tell him what she needed him to do and they'd talk about their days. He learned how to make a wide variety of dishes, pastas being his specialty, but waffles were always his favorite, and he had passed that love onto Beth.

He mixed up the batter and gazed out the window into the backyard. The leaves had begun to fall off the trees that stood out there. Despite the fact that they had just built their house, there were some older trees that stood on their property. He wondered if he could convince Beth to help him rake the leave instead of just playing in them.

Puck added a cup of chocolate chips into the batter and smiled, remembering the day when Beth asked him to add them into the mix. For years, Puck had eaten his waffles with all sorts of toppings from chocolate sauce to ice cream but he had never added anything_ into them_. Today's batch of waffles was going to be extra super special. Not only was he including chocolate chops, but he was also making a Noah Puckerman original recipe for a peanut butter topping. Beth loved the combination of chocolate and peanut butter.

He had just closed the waffle iron when Beth came padding down the stairs, rubbing her eyes.

"Morning, B-Rex," he said.

"Good morning, Daddy. What are you making?"

"What do you think I'm making? Waffles. You're just in time to help me finish them. They're kind of special since it's just you and me today."

"What are we doing today?" Beth asked.

"Like I told your mom last night, that's for me to know and you to find out."

"You talked to Mommy last night?"

"Mmhmm, she called after you went to bed but I'm sure she'll call again tonight so you can talk to her. Grab a plate, this waffle is ready."

Puck carefully removed the hot waffles from the iron and placed it onto Beth's plate. He sprinkled it with more chocolate chips before drizzling it was the warm peanut butter topping. When he handed it over to Beth along with a fork she stared at it for a moment before looking up at him.

"What?" he asked. "What's wrong with it?"

"No bacon?" Beth asked her father.

"You are _so_ your mother's daughter," he said, rolling his eyes. "No, I'm sorry. No bacon today. Only yummy, delicious waffles."

"Daddy will you please tell me what we're doing today?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full, B-Rex. Well, first of all I thought you could help me rake leave."

"That does _not _sound like fun."

"Oh but it is. It can be a lot of fun. I'll show you a game your Aunt Sara and I used to play when we were younger."

"I want know what we're doing tonight!"

"Elizabeth," Puck said sternly. "If you're going to be whiney about it, we can stay home and you can go to bed early."

Beth frowned and wrinkled up her nose. "You should like Mommy when you call me _Elizabeth_," she observed, causing Puck to crack a smile.

Quinn always got on him about how she constantly had to play the bad guy and be the disciplinarian when it came to Beth. He felt bad but it was true. The second she batted her eyelashes at him or pouted he gave into his little girl. In a way, he blamed Quinn because he had always been unable to say _no_ to her as well. _Like mother, like daughter_, he thought for at least the second time that day. Both of the girls in his life had him tightly wrapped around their little fingers.

"You're just like your mother sometimes. Neither of you like surprises very much do you? I'll give you a hint. It's someplace you've never been before but Mom and I have been there a few times."

"Do I have to dress nice?"

"You don't have to dress as nice as you would for church, but maybe one of your cute dresses that you like to wear."

"Hmmm…"

"What?"

"I'm trying to think about where we're going!"

"Give it up, Beth. The more you think about it, the more it's going to annoy you. Let's put on some old clothes and you can help me outside."

Puck and Beth both dressed in a pair of older jeans and sweatshirts before they headed outside to begin raking leaves. Once they had a few big piles made, Puck called Beth over from the smaller pile she made to the largest one he had raked together.

"OK, here's how the game works. You go stand on the deck and then count to fifty. I'm going to hide in one of the piles and then you have to find me."

"What happens if I find you?"

"You win."

"That sounds pretty lame, Dad."

"Well fine. You don't have to play with me" Puck said, crossing his arms and sticking out his bottom lip.

"Don't be a cry baby about it. Fine, I'll play with you."

Beth rolled her eyes and stood on the deck with her back facing the backyard. She began counting and could hear leaves rustling all over the ward as Puck ran around trying to make it more difficult for her to guess which pile he was in. Once the rustling of leaves had stopped, Puck started to make zombie-esque noises, moans, and groans.

"Daddy, what's that sound?" Beth asked mid-count.

There was no real response except for a series of louder scary noises that continued as the seven-year-old made her way towards the pile of leaves that the ominous sounds were coming from. As she drew closer, Puck could see her through the holes in the leaves but doubted that she could see him. When he knew that she was standing directly above the pile he leapt up with a loud roar, causing Beth to jump back and scream. Before she could run very far, Puck scooped her up into his arms and pulled her down with him into the pile of leaves. Her screams turned into laughs as her father began to tickle her mercilessly.

"Daddy! Stop, please!" Beth shrieked. "I can't breathe."

"No!" Puck growled. "I'm the tickle monster and now that I've got you in my lair, you're my prisoner."

"No! I'm gonna tickle you instead!"

"Hey, that's not fair," Puck said as Beth began to assault him with tickles.

"Yes, it is. You tricked me now B-Rex tickles you! RAWR!"

"No, please have mercy on me!"

"I'll stop if you tell me where we're going tonight."

"You're playing dirty."

"I wanna know!" Beth yelled, tickling Puck's neck.

"Alright! Alright! We're going to a movie!"

"A movie? I've been to a movie before…"

"But you've never been to _this_ movie theater before. I promise."

"OK, I _guess___that's good enough. You can live."

"Maybe your mom is right, you are a little bit too much like me sometimes. Let's get these leaves put into a bad and then we've got to run to the hardware store."

"What for?"

"I need some hay and some mums because Mommy wants me to put them out front with our scarecrow."

"Can we get a pumpkin, too?" Beth asked excitedly.

"I think we're going to carve pumpkins later on this month because if we do it too soon they'll get rotten."

Beth and Puck spent the rest of the afternoon going to the hardware store to get everything they were looking for and setting up the display in the front yard. Puck let her pick out one of his old flannel shirts to put on the scarecrow. When they were finished they cleaned up and got ready for their daddy-daughter date night.

"Beth, are you almost ready?" Puck called up the stairs.

"I'm coming!" she yelled back, clamoring down the steps dressed in her favorite pink skirt and black boots she practically lived in ever since Quinn bought them for her.

"Beth, these are for you," Puck said, handing her a small bouquet of brightly colored flowers.

"Really?" she asked, taking them in both hands and breathing in their scent.

"Yep. Remember, you always deserve flowers on your first date, otherwise you can kick him to the curb, not that you'll ever be dating…at least not until you're 30 or 40, but still."

"Daddy, you're funny."

"So I'm told. Are you ready to go? Let's get your coat."

Puck drove the two of them downtown to one of the most unique movie theaters he'd ever been to. It had opened a few years ago and was uncommon in the fact that you could be served real food by a waiter during the movie. It had become a pretty popular spot for Puck and Quinn to go on one of their date nights because it included dinner and a movie all in one convenient package. It was also reasonably affordable and Puck thought Beth would really enjoy herself. The interior of the theater's lobby was designed to look like Hollywood, complete with palm trees, other plants, a waterfall, fake Hollywood sign and walk of fame.

After buying the tickets for the movie of Beth's choice, which Puck had to admit wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, they settled into their seats and ordered dinner. He let her order a kiddie cocktail, complete with cherries and a paper umbrella. After they are their food, they shared a piece of chocolate cake that Puck graciously allowed Beth to hog.

"Did you have fun?" Puck asked, holding his daughter's hand as they walked out to the truck.

"Mmhmm I liked it a lot. You should probably take me with the next time you go with Mommy."

"We'll see."

It was much later than Puck expected it to be when the movie let out and even though it was the weekend he knew that Quinn probably would have frowned upon Beth staying out so late. He wasn't really surprised that by the time they got back to the house the little girl was practically nodding off in her booster seat.

"Come on B-Rex, we're home," he said once he pulled into the driveway.

"Too tired," she mumbled somewhat dramatically. "Just leave me here."

"I don't think so," Puck replied, chuckling at how much Beth's statement sounded like Quinn whenever she fell asleep on the couch.

He opened the back door of his truck and unbuckled Beth, carefully lifting her out of the car like her used to do when she was younger.

"Come on, baby girl. Time to get you to bed."

After putting Beth in her pajamas and tucking her in, Puck checked his phone and realized that he had a missed call and a voicemail from Quinn. He hadn't noticed it ring because he'd turned it to silent during the movie. Slightly disappointed that he missed her call, he sat back and listed to the message.

XXX

Quinn wasn't exactly sure what her husband and daughter had planned for the night but she had decided to try her luck and call him anyway.

"Hey," she said when his voicemail picked up. "I'm sorry I missed you guys. Just wanted to say hi and fill you in on how things went today. We're getting ready to go back to Mercedes' apartment now so I've got to go. I'll call you tomorrow before I get home. Give Beth a kiss. I love you both."

"Ready girl?" Mercedes asked, looping Quinn's arm through her own. "Sam hailed us a taxi already to take us back to my place."

Quinn sank back into her spot between Mercedes and Rachel with a sigh. Their day had been a busy one and she was glad that it was winding down and her friend had suggested that they all go back to her apartment to catch up some more rather than going out to a bar or club.

Once she and Rachel got to the apartment they had an hour to make it look even more appealing to potential sub-leasers. They had picked up some fresh flowers, lit some candles and opened a few windows to air it out a bit since Rachel had been gone for about a month.

They interviewed five people who were interested and ended up settling on a girl who was in art school and was obviously still drawing funds from the bank of mommy and daddy. Quinn told Rachel that it was a good thing for her because she wouldn't have to worry about rent being paid late or not at all. Once all of that was done and taken care of the two girls got ready and took a cab uptown to meet up with Kurt, Sam and Mercedes for dinner.

"No answer from Noah?" Rachel asked, pulling Quinn from her thoughts.

"No, he's probably asleep on the couch or something," Quinn shrugged. "I swear, he sleeps like the dead sometimes and other times I could move my leg and he'd jolts up in bed. I told him I'd call him before we left."

It took some time for the taxi to make its way back to Mercedes' apartment since it was a Saturday night and they were glad when it finally did. It wasn't so much that Quinn was car sick, but the constant stop and go of the traffic mixed with the fact that she was in the back seat that gave her a bit of a headache. Mercedes' apartment would have been considered small to most people but for living in New York City it was actually a decent size for what she was paying for it and it was completely bug free, which was a must for her.

"We've got to see your new house soon," she said to Quinn as they sat around eating the cheesecake Kurt had bought from the bakery across the street from the restaurant.

"You guys are welcome anytime. I'm serious. It'd be nice to have a reunion with as many of us as possible, maybe even Mr. Schue, too."

"I don't have any time off until Thanksgiving," Kurt said.

"Then you'll have to find time to stop by when you're home then. I think a lot of us will be in town."

"We should try and plan a day," Rachel said.

"What about the day before?" Sam suggested. "We're all coming in that morning."

"That might be hard," Quinn replied. "I volunteered to bring an apple pie and green bean casserole to Puck's mom's house and I want to do all of the prep the night before if I can. What about the Friday after?"

"Isn't that a big shopping day?" Rachel asked. "Are you going out?"

"No clue yet. Last year Sara and I went out but that's in the morning anyway. We could try to meet up that night at my house."

"That works for me," Mercedes said with Kurt and Sam nodding in agreement.

"Awesome. I'll call or email Santana, Brittany, Artie, Tina and Mike. Rachel, make sure Finn actually remembers. Tell him there will be a lot of food."

"Why can't you just email him, too?"

"I will, but if _you_ tell him, he might actually remember to come."

"Quinn you need to come back when you can get drink and we'll take you to a fabulous gay bar," Kurt said. "We'll all get so blitzed."

"Blitzed?" she asked, raising her eyebrow. "Do people even say that?"

"Kurt does," Sam smiled. "When is Puckerman Baby Number Two supposed to grace us with their presence?"

"March, or _March Madness_ as Puck says."

"If it's a boy, you should name him Sam. You know, in honor of me," the blonde said.

"Honestly, we really haven't even started talking about names yet."

"Well, we all remembered that someone has a birthday coming up in a couple of weeks and we decided to get you a little something," Mercedes said, standing up to fetch a gift bag from her bedroom.

"You guys didn't have to get me anything," Quinn replied, sitting up a little and taking the tissue paper out of the bag to reveal a bright fuchsia scarf.

"It's a pashmina," Sam said.

"Not only that," Kurt added. "But it is a specially designed _K&M_ couture scarf made especially for you. No one else will be walking around Lima or anywhere else with one of those."

"That is so sweet," Quinn said, wrapping it around her neck. "I love it. Thank you all so much."

"You're welcome, girl," Mercedes replied.

"I picked out the card," Sam pointed out.

"It's the best birthday card ever."

"Quinn, maybe we should head back to my apartment. It's getting kind of late."

"Awww do we have to?" she whined.

"Yes, young lady. It's past your bedtime."

"Rach, I think you're hanging out with me too much. You're starting to sound like a mom."

After they arrived back at her apartment, Rachel tried to convince Quinn to take her bed but the blonde refused, saying she would be just fine on the couch. Unfortunately, after nearly an hour of tossing and turning she settled on her back and sighed. Not only was it hard to sleep in an unfamiliar place, but Rachel's apartment was old and made all sorts of strange noises. Pushing herself up, she reached for her phone and checked the time. _1:43AM. There's still a chance that Puck might not be in bed yet,_ she thought. Quinn wrapped her blanket around her shoulders and snuck out into the hallway of the apartment building and sat down. She dialed Puck's number and waited for him to answer. After the third ring she was about to hang up when she heard his voice.

"Quinn?" he asked and she could tell she had woke him up. "What's wrong? Is everything OK?"

"Yeah, she assured him. "I'm sorry I woke you up, I just couldn't sleep."

"Nothing new there," Puck said but Quinn could tell he wasn't mad. "How's NYC?"

"Good. It's beautiful this time of year. How was your date tonight?"

"It was awesome. I took her to the Palms for dinner and a movie."

"My favorite. Our flight leaves at eleven tomorrow so we should make it home sometime in the early evening."

"Do you want us to wait on you for dinner?"

"You don't have to if you don't want to. I'll just make something when I get home. Oh before I forget, we're having everyone over the day after Thanksgiving."

"Everyone?"

"Mmhmm, a glee club reunion. I'm going to email everyone when I get home about it. It won't be a big deal but I offered up our place since we have the most room out of everyone in town."

"Well good. It'll be nice to see everyone together again. Bed's cold without you, babe."

"Lies. You were sleeping when I called. I could tell."

"I can fall asleep anywhere, but you know what I mean."

"I'm glad I have the day off on Monday."

"Gonna stay home and relax?"

"Maybe in the morning, but I was thinking about taking Beth Halloween costume shopping. What time do you work on Monday?"

"I'm on afternoons this week so I go in at two-thirty."

"What are the odds that Beth will sleep in?" Quinn asked with a yawn.

"Slim to none," Puck laughed.

"Maybe we could let her stay up later on Sunday so she's a little bit more tuckered out when she goes to bed."

"Do you just want to get me into bed, Mrs. Puckerman?"

"Maybe. Maybe I just want to lounge around in bed with you for awhile. You're pretty comfy, you know."

"Are you getting tired, Sleeping Beauty?"

"I think so. Sometimes I just have to get up and move around but talking to you really helped, too."

"At your service, my lady."

"Shall I bring you a present?"

"Just you. Drive safe tomorrow. Call me when you guys land."

"I will. OK, I'll let you get back to sleep."

"Make sure you do that, too. I love you, Quinn."

"I'll try. Thank you. I love you, too Noah."

XXX

"I didn't know we had a home ec room," Puck smirked as he walked through the door.

"You are such a liar," Quinn replied, smoothing frosting on a cupcake. "What are you doing in here?"

"I came to pick you up for your birthday dinner. Why are you baking cupcakes?"

"Annual Glee Club Bake Sale. I told Will I'd help him out since I canceled my Cheerios practice today."

"Are you almost done? Can't you leave them for someone else to do?"

"I just need to finish frosting them and _no_ I'm not just leaving them here."

"Did you make the frosting yourself?" Puck asked, coming to stand just behind her. He was dressed in one of his black dress shirts, a dark pair of jeans and he smelled like he just got out of the shower.

"Yes," Quinn replied, slapping his hand playfully when he reached around her to dip his finger into the bowl. "Hey!"

"What? Was it perfectly measured?" he teased, waving his finger in the air as she turned around to face him. She wore a blue and white three-quarter length sleeve wrap dress that hugged her curves perfectly but was still modest enough to wear at school. She wanted to dress a little nicer since it was her birthday and she knew they'd be going to dinner right from work.

"Noah Puckerman, don't you dare."

"Don't you dare what? Are you afraid of a little bit of frosting?"

"No, but I don't have time to change if you get any of it on my clothes."

"Then I guess I'll just have to make sure none of it gets on your dress," he said, dabbing the frosting on the corner of her mouth.

"Puck!" Quinn protested.

"Shhh, don't worry. I'll clean up my mess."

Quinn could only smile and shake her head as Puck leaned forward to kiss the side of her mouth, gently sweeping his tongue over her lip to make sure that every last bit of frosting was gone.

"Are you seriously blushing?" he asked, pulling away.

"No," Quinn denied, looking away and biting her lip.

"Yes, you are. Look, it's going all the way down your neck. What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing."

"Yes, you are. Come on, Quinn. Watcha thinking about?"

"Fine," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "I was thinking about what might have happened if Finn hadn't have walked in during our little food fight all those years ago."

"Really?"

"Mmhmm."

"And what _do_ you think would have happened?"

"I would have let you kiss me."

"Who's to say I would have wanted to kiss you then?"

"Oh please, it was obvious by the way you were looking at me and brushing my hair out of my face."

"You mean like this?" Puck said, tucking a strand of her shorter hair behind her ear and cupping her face.

"Yep," Quinn replied, looking deeply into his amber eyes. She took a step towards her husband and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down into a sweet kiss. "There. That's what would have happened."

"Is that all that would have happened?"

"Yes. Probably."

"Probably? And what about now?" Puck questioned, snaking his arms around Quinn's waist and drawing her even closer to himself.

"Puck…what are you talking about?"

"Oh, I think you know."

"We can't… I'm at school."

"Yes, we can. Come on, the door's locked, most of the students are all gone anyway."

"We have to leave for dinner."

"No one will notice if we're fifteen minutes late or so. Come on, Quinn. It _is_ your birthday after all."

"I'm totally getting fired for this."

"Is that a _yes_? No you won't, I promise. Now, where were we?"

Puck made quick work of dropping his lips down to Quinn's. He backed her up against the cabinets that lined the side wall and easily lifted her up onto the counter. She smiled against his lips and traced a line of feather-light kisses along his jaw and down his neck, sucking gently on his Adam's apple. Her hands trailed down his chest between their bodies until they reached the waistline of his jeans. With one delicate finger she traced the already visible outline of his erection. With her nimble fingers she unfastened the button and pulled down the fly, smirking to herself as she took him into her hand.

"Commando? Really?"

"Are you actually surprised?" he wondered as she continued to stroke his length.

"Not exactly," she shrugged.

"Good. Enough wasting time talking."

Hooking his arms under Quinn's knees, Puck shifted her so she was on the very edge of the counter. He slid his hands under her dress and over her thighs, causing a shiver to run don her spine. He pushed the thin material of her panties to the side before positioning himself at her entrance and eased into her slowly. Quinn buried her face in his neck and let out a quiet moan as her hips rocked against his, afraid of being too loud and blowing their cover.

"Fuck," Puck cursed and kissed the side of her face as he quickened his pace.

Quinn couldn't believe they were actually having sex in the home ex room. Sure, they'd done the deed in a number of different locations, including the janitor's closet, but never did she think she'd find herself in that position. She could already tell she was getting close as Puck continued the steady rhythm of his thrusts. Digging her fingers into his biceps, Quinn lifted her head off of his shoulder to kiss him, nibbling lightly on his bottom lip.

"Come on, baby. I know you're almost there. Just let go."

"Oh my God, Puck," she moaned loudly and screwed her eyes shut.

"Quinn?"

Feeling a gentle shake on her shoulder, Quinn opened her eyes and realized that she was lying in her bed at home with Puck grinning down at her.

"What?" she asked, trying to be nonchalant as she rubbed her eyes.

"Did you have another sex dream?"

"No," Quinn denied quickly.

"Uh huh," Puck replied, not believing her for a second. "Where were we this time?"

"Home ec room."

"Again?"

"Shut up."

"I'm teasing," he said with a kiss. "Was I any good?"

"You always are."

"Good to know. Happy Birthday, baby."

"Thank you," Quinn replied, sitting up in bed. "Do I have to go to school today?"

"You sound like Beth. Yes, you do. It'll make the day go by faster before we go to dinner with our moms, Beth and Sara tonight."

"Then I guess I better go shower."

"Want some company?"

"No. You need to go make sure Beth's getting ready anyway. I have no idea what to wear."

"How about that blue dress you bought the other day? You always look awesome in blue."

Quinn stared at Puck for a moment in disbelief, silently wondering how much of her dream he'd actually heard. Convincing herself that it was a mere coincidence, she stood up from the bed and headed to the bathroom to shower.

XXX

Quinn's twenty-fourth birthday came near the end of the month of October when the leaves were falling off the trees and the air was getting crisp. It just so happened to fall on one of Puck's days off- which changed every month- and so he volunteered to drive her to work that morning and pick her up that afternoon. Quinn enjoyed the mornings they could all spend together as a family. Because Puck was still one of the low men on the totem pole his shift usually changed every week. He switched from his day shift, which started at seven in the morning and ended at three-thirty in the afternoon, to an afternoon shift which started at two-thirty and ended at eleven at night, to a midnight shift which started at ten-thirty and ended at seven in the morning on a week by week basis. It made their lives a little hectic but somehow they found a way to make it work. Most of the time, except when Puck worked the afternoon shift they were both home to put Beth to bed each night and they were able to eat dinner together.

During the middle of her third period class, when Quinn was busy trying to get her seniors to focus on their reading of _Hamlet_, a runner from the office came in carrying a vase of flowers. She stood from the stool she was perched upon in front of her class and met the student halfway, taking the vase from him. She placed the flowers on her desk and found the card attached to it. _Happy Birthday! Hope your day is awesome. Love you, Puck_.

"Mrs. P, is it your birthday?" Stevie, who happened to be in her class that period, asked.

"It is," she confirmed, setting the card down. She hadn't really told anyone it was her birthday. It wasn't that she didn't want people to know, it was just that she didn't think it was a very big deal.

"Why didn't you say so? We could have had a cake!"

"Because _we_ need to work on _Hamlet_."

"But it's your _birthday_," one of the girls said.

"Yep and for my birthday I want you all to be well prepared for our test next week. I have it on good authority that the average percentage of this class is two points above Mr. Thompson's senior honors English class. Who remembers what I promised if our class does better overall this semester?"

"Pizza party on the first day back from break!" Stevie said.

"That's right," Quinn nodded. "And not only do I really want to win, I also have a feeling that I'm really going to want to eat pizza then. So, let's get back to the play. I really want to talk about Ophelia because she's _way_ more than a crazy girl who drowned herself."

XXX

Puck and Beth picked Quinn up after her Cheerios practice ended for the day. Unlike her dream, she hadn't canceled it and she wasn't in the home ec room. The pair walked into her classroom just as she was finishing up grading a small set of pop quizzes from one of her sophomore classes.

"Happy Birthday, Mommy!" Beth said for about the fifth time that day.

"Thank you, B-Bug. How was school today?"

"Good! Daddy and I already finished my homework so you don't have to help me."

"Did he now? He's just full of surprises, isn't he?" Quinn said, smiling up at Puck.

"Well, I try. I see you got the flowers," Puck replied.

"I did. They're beautiful and my favorites."

"If there's one thing I know, it's that lilies are you favorite flowers."

"You know a lot more than that."

"Are you ready to go? I made our reservations for five-fifteen."

"Yes, I'm all set."

Puck helped Quinn put on her light trench coat and grabbed her school bag from her so Beth could hold her free hand as they walked out to the truck. They drove to Quinn's favorite restaurant where they met Judy, Ruth and Sara inside. They ate their meals and gave Quinn their presents before they had dessert. Judy gave her a new designer purse she had picked out when they were shopping a few weeks before at an outlet mall nearby. Ruth had gotten her daughter-in-law a bottle of one of Quinn's favorite perfumes and Sara gave her a gift certificate for a manicure and pedicure from their favorite salon and volunteered to go with her whenever she wanted to go. Beth was next to present her mother with a gift which consisted of a hand drawn and painted picture of their family with crowns on their heads, standing next to a castle. Even though Beth was only seven, she was actually a pretty good artist which Quinn attributed to spending so much time with Sara who was an incredibly talented artist. Beth also handed Quinn a tiny wrapped box that contained a pair of small pink pearl earrings that the girl insisted she picked out and asked her mother to wear them immediately. Quinn agreed, showing them to everyone else once she fastened them onto her ears. Puck was the last to go and slid a similar black box to her across the table.

"It's not very big," he said. "But I think you'll like it."

Quinn flipped open the box to reveal a pearl ring that matched the earrings Beth had picked out set with a tiny diamond on either side. "This is beautiful," Quinn nearly whispered, taking it from the box and sliding it onto the ring finger on her right hand.

"Well, B-Rex helped me pick it out," Puck said, winking at his daughter. "I can't take all of the credit for it."

"I love it. Thank you. Everyone, thank you for coming, too. It really means a lot to me to be able to spend my birthday with some of the people I care about most. I feel truly blessed and that's all I'm going to say before I start to cry."

After leaving the restaurant and driving home, Quinn and Puck put Beth to bed, which took a little longer than usually since she was still on a bit of a sugar high from dessert. Once she finally fell asleep her parents walked into their bedroom and Quinn began to remove the earrings, placing them into the jewelry box that sat on her dresser. She began to reach for the tie on her wrap dress when Puck's hands stopped her.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Getting ready to put on a pair of sweatpants?" she replied as if she was answering a question in class.

"We're not done yet."

"We're not?"

"Nope. I've got something else for you."

"Oh really?" Quinn asked, raising her eyebrow seductively.

"No, not that. Get your mind out of the gutter, Puckerman. A surprise."

"Puck, you've done enough. The flowers, dinner, the ring and earrings."

"Hey, the earrings were from Beth. Besides, I didn't have to pay for this. I made it."

"Well, now I'm intrigued."

"Good. Follow me."

Puck led Quinn down the stairs to the basement and unlocked the door to his little studio. It wasn't much but it had his two guitars, a microphone, a small soundboard he bought used online, and his computer that he used to store everything on. He flipped on the light switch and pulled out the chair for Quinn to sit on. Turning on the computer he placed a CD case on the desk in front of her.

"What's this?" she asked, picking it up.

"Your present. Pop it in."

Quinn opened the case and slid it into the CD drive on the computer. She clicked on the _play_ button and sat back in her chair, folding her hands over her stomach.

"Uhhh, hey babe," Puck's voice came through the speakers. "Since I had the day off today I decided to make myself useful and do a little something special for your birthday so…here it is. I hope you like it."

_To really love a woman, to understand her  
>You gotta know her deep inside<br>Hear every thought, see every dream  
>An' give her wings when she wants to fly<br>Then when you find yourself lyin' helpless in her arms  
>You know you really love a woman<em>

_When you love a woman  
>You tell her, that she's really wanted<br>When you love a woman you tell her that she's the one  
>'Cuz she needs somebody<br>To tell her that it's gonna last forever  
>So tell me have you ever really<br>Really, really ever loved a woman?  
>Yeah<em>

_To really love a woman, let her hold you  
>Til' you know how she needs to be touched<br>You've gotta breathe her, really taste her  
>Til' you can feel her in your blood<br>An' when you can see your unborn children in her eyes  
>You know you really love a woman<em>

_When you love a woman  
>You tell her that she's really wanted<br>When you love a woman you tell her that she's the one  
>'Cuz she needs somebody<br>To tell her that you'll always be together  
>So tell me have you ever really<br>Really, really ever loved a woman?_

_Oh  
>You've got to give her some faith, hold her tight<br>A little tenderness, you gotta treat her right  
>She will be there for you, takin' good care of you<br>You really gotta love your woman, ya_

_And when you find yourself lyin' helpless in her arms  
>You know you really love a woman<em>

_When you love a woman  
>You tell her that she's really wanted<br>When you love a woman you tell her that she's the one  
>'Cuz she needs somebody<br>To tell her that it's gonna last forever  
>So tell me have you ever really<br>Really, really ever loved a woman?  
>Yeah<em>

_Just tell me have you ever really  
>Really, really, ever loved a woman?<br>Oh  
>Just tell me have you ever really<br>Really, really, ever loved a woman?_

"Puck," Quinn said, turning to him when the song was over. "That was beautiful. Really, _really_ perfect."

"I realized it's been a long time since I sang for you," Puck said sheepishly.

"That's not true, you sing all the time around the house and in the car."

"No, I mean, like, really sing a song for you that's about how I feel about you and about us."

"Well I loved it. Thank you."

"I love _you_. Happy Birthday."

"Some things never really change, do they?" Quinn said, pulling Puck into a hug.

"What do you mean?" he asked, kissing her forehead.

"You're still special and romantic."

_Please review :)_


	5. Chapter 5 Part I

**A/N: Welcome to chapter 5 part 1! First of all I'd like to say Thank You to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter! As I was writing this new chapter I realized it kept getting longer and longer and longer so to keep things a little bit more manageable I decided to cut it into two parts. There isn't really a cliffhanger at the end but that doesn't mean part 2 will be without drama. This is set on the Monday before Thanksgiving, so just keep that in mind. I hope you all enjoy Part 1. Xoxo- Katie**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. **

Quinn was driving towards her mother's house to pick up Beth after Cheerios practice was over when her cell phone rang. She fished around her purse which sat on the passenger seat for a moment before pulling it out and seeing her husband's name on the screen.

"Hello," she answered.

"Hey, babe," he replied. "How was work?"

"Long, tiring, Sue was worse than usual in practice today. Three of my girls left in tears even after I talked to them. I just want to get Beth and go home and eat something."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. How's your shift?"

"Unusually quiet," Puck replied. "I've only gotten two calls since my shift started at three."

"Are you complaining?" Quinn asked with a laugh. "I could go rob a bank and cause a high speed chase and then you'd have something to do."

"That won't be necessary. What's for dinner tonight?"

"Not sure. I was thinking about calling up Rachel to see if she wanted to go grab something. I don't even feel like cooking."

"Alright, well give Beth a kiss for me and I guess I'll see you when I get home from work."

"Don't be surprised if I'm already asleep."

"Am I ever?" Puck joked. "No. I just shake my head and carry you to bed."

"At least I know you're getting exercise then," Quinn threw back. "Oh, before I forget, could you pick up a gallon of milk on your way home from work?"

"Why can't you get it? You're already out?"

"Because I'm tired and I've had a long day."

"You don't think I'm gonna be tired when I get off, too?" Puck argued.

"I didn't say that. I don't want to go to the store with Beth. You know how she can get. She'll want me to buy the entire store. Look, why are you making such a big deal about this?"

"Fine, whatever. I'll stop at the store."

"Thank you," Quinn sighed. "I love you."

"Yeah, yeah, see you when I get home," Puck replied before hanging up his phone.

Quinn frowned momentarily before hanging up her phone and went inside to get Beth the same way she did every Monday, Wednesday and Friday after school on the weeks when Puck worked the second shift. When he worked the first or third shift, he was always home to pick up their daughter while she coached the JV Cheerio squad. Beth was still dressed in her plaid school uniform jumper and Quinn was thankful when her mother told her that they finished the only worksheet the second grader had been sent home with.

"B-Bug, what do you think about going to dinner tonight with Aunt Rachel?" Quinn asked her daughter as she buckled her into her car seat.

"I wan pisghetti!"

"You can get _spaghetti_ at Breadstix. Sound good?"

"Yeah!"

Before she pulled away from her mother's house, Quinn called her friend and waited for her to answer.

"Hello?" Rachel answered, always a little too bubbly sounding.

"Hey Rach, Beth and I were wondering if you had dinner yet?"

"No, I was just staring at my empty fridge and trying to decide if I should go grocery shopping or eat frosting out of the jar."

"I have a better idea. How about meeting us at Breadstix in about twenty minutes?"

"Sounds great," Rachel replied. "I'm grabbing my coat and purse now!"

As Quinn hung up the phone and began driving towards the restaurant a light snow began to fall, nothing heavy, just enough to leave a light dusting on the grass and it seemed to melt as soon as it made contact with the road. She asked Beth about how her day was and nodded at the familiar answers.

"Beth, Daddy said to give you a kiss from him."

"When did you talk to Daddy?"

"Before I picked you up from Grandma's house."

"I _always_ miss his call," the girl pouted.

"Well, since you don't have any homework, if it's not too late when we get home we can try and call him so you can tell him goodnight. How does that sound?"

"It won't be too late! I'll eat really fast!"

"But you don't want you to eat so fast that you get a tummy ache," Quinn laughed as she waited for her stoplight to turn green. They were only a couple of minutes away from the restaurant and she was starting to feel really hungry. She imagined that she would be able to polish off a whole basket of breadsticks all by herself. While she ran over the familiar menu in her head she suddenly heard the sound of squealing breaks and looked up and into her rear-view mirror just in time to see a car screeching towards her, definitely not seeming like it would stop in time.

For as quickly as it happened, everything seemed to move in slow motion for Quinn. The moment she braced herself for the collision she knew was coming. The sound of the impact. Wondering why metal hitting metal sounded so much like an explosion. Hearing Beth's loud, high-pitched and terrified scream. Feeling her own body lurch forward despite her best efforts to hold it back. Feeling like a test dummy as her head flung forward and hit the steering wheel as her seat belt locked up and kept her from going any further. Somehow finding the ability to slam her foot on her break to keep her car from going too much further into the intersection. Wincing as her body fell back again against her seat and her car stopped moving. Just as quickly as it had happened, it was over and Quinn found herself trying to speak.

"Beth? Baby are you OK?" she asked, looking up again to her mirror and seeing that her daughter looked unharmed, although distraught.

"Mommy! What was that?" the girl wailed.

"Someone hit our car," Quinn replied, blinking through the pain in her head, back and hips as she unbuckled her seatbelt and opened her car door. She got out of the car and immediately checked on Beth, grateful that she did indeed only seem shaken by the incident.

"Ma'am are you alright?" a young man asked as he jogged up to her car. He looked vaguely familiar and Quinn wondered briefly if he was a student at McKinley. "The car that hit you just took off, but I got part of the license plate."

"I'm fine," Quinn said, waving him off through what seemed like a fog. She felt so strange.

"Mommy your head is bleeding," Beth said pointing at her mother.

"It is?"

"Maybe you should sit down," the kid suggested. "You might be in shock or something. I called 9-1-1 and they're sending people out."

Quinn rummaged through her purse for a tissue and pressed it to her forehead, cringing slightly at the pain. Aside from the ache in her head she seemed fine, felt sore but nothing more. Surely, everything would be fine, her car hadn't been hit _that_ hard, but still her hand flew to her stomach as her mind began to run through all of the worst case scenarios.

"Oh no,no,no,no," Quinn said to herself, shaking her head and sinking into the seat of her car. "Everything's going to be fine."

"Ma'am are you sure you're OK?"

"I don't know. I'm six months pregnant."

"Mommy," Beth said softly. "Is the baby going to be OK?"

"I hope so, B-bug," Quinn replied, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes.

XXXXX

Puck was sitting in a parking lot filling out the rest of his report for the speeding ticket he had just issued while he munched on the rest of his sandwich. He couldn't believe that he still had four and a half hours of his shift left before he got to go home. The last car he pulled over hadn't even been speeding that fast and on any other night he probably would have just let them off the hook, but it wasn't like he had anything better to do at the moment. He was almost done and ready to head back out on the road when a call came over his radio.

"_Any available units report to a hit and run at the intersection of Jefferson and Wheeler. A black Chevy Impala was struck from behind. An ambulance has already been dispatched. The vehicle's passengers were a twenty-four year-old female and a seven year-old female. Extent of the injuries is unknown but both passengers are conscious…."_

Puck was motionless for a moment as he processed the information he was hearing. He couldn't, or didn't want to believe that one of his greatest fears was becoming a reality. He knew what he had heard. The car match and the description and ages of the passengers matched Quinn and Beth exactly. His pulse sped up and his palms grew sweaty as he tossed his pen and paper work aside and reached for his radio.

"Squad car 9467 responding, over," he said as calmly as he could before he flipped on his lights and sirens and sped out of the parking lot.

Puck had never driven so recklessly before in his squad car, but then again he had never been so desperate to get to the scene of an accident before. Thousands of thoughts were running through his mind. He had seen terrible accidents in his one year on the force and he had seen small fender benders. The fact that an ambulance had been dispatched first worried the hell out of him. The fact that his pregnant wife and baby girl had been involved in a hit and run made his blood boil.

He'd heard people talk about their lives flashing before their eyes but the only other time Puck ever experienced something like that was when he got into his car accident years ago. In an instant he started replaying everything he and Quinn had gone through together, all of the milestones, all of the happy moments and the bad times. In his mind he watched Beth skip out the door that morning in her pink pea coat and uniform holding her mother's hand. He tried hard to remember what Quinn had been wearing when she kissed him on the cheek and left for school. Puck frowned and swallowed hard when he remember their conversation earlier that evening. _Why did I get into a fight with her about something so stupid?_ he asked himself as he swerved down the road. _It was a fucking gallon of milk. The store is on your way home, asshole. _He could remember how apologetic she sounded before he hung up and yet he had to be stubborn, had to make his point and wouldn't give her the satisfaction of saying "_I love you" _back to her. He was terribly afraid that the last thing he might ever say to her was just "_Yeah, yeah see you when I get home_".

As he neared the intersection of the accident he could already see the fire truck and ambulance. He tried to calm his nerves by telling himself that it was standard protocol for those emergency vehicles to be dispatched to any accident. As he swung his car into the intersection, blocking the traffic, he spotted two other squad cars that must have been closer when they received the call. He barreled out of the car and ran towards Quinn's wounded Impala, paying no attention to the other officers who were assessing the scene.

"Quinn! Beth!" he yelled, catching sight of his wife's blonde hair on the driver's side as a group of paramedics crowded around her.

"Daddy!" his daughter replied, jumping out of her car seat, running past the emergency workers and into her father's arms. Puck stood still for a moment as he held his little girl tighter than he ever had before.

"Are you OK?"

"I'm fine. Mommy has a cut on her head but she keeps telling me she is OK."

Puck set Beth down and took her by the hand. As he walked up to the car one of the paramedics was wheeling up a gurney. When Quinn caught sight of her husband she lifted her head and tried to get out of the car.

"Just stay there," he said, weaving through the other two paramedics with Beth. Quinn was seated sideways in the car so that her feet were flat on the pavement and Puck knelt down in front of her. "Are you alright? Did you break anything? Is the baby OK? I'm so sorry about earlier. You know I love you more than anything."

"I think I'm fine. I hit my head on the steering wheel but it's just a small cut. I feel OK, but they want to take me to the hospital to check on the baby," Quinn replied trying her best to hold it together but she couldn't stop the tears from coming anymore and soon they were flowing down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry. What if something's wrong? What if…what if…"

"Shhh," Puck said, gathering her into his arms. "This is _not_ your fault. Everything is going to be fine. They'll take you to the hospital, the doctors will do an exam and check you both out and then we can go home. Everything is going to be fine."

"But what if it isn't?"

"Quinn, listen to me. We're going to be OK."

"Mrs. Puckerman," one of the paramedics said. "We're all set. Will Officer Puckerman be riding with us?"

"Babe, will you be OK if I follow you in my squad with Beth?"

"Yeah," Quinn nodded tearfully and Puck could tell that although she was trying hard to be strong, she was afraid.

"We'll be right behind you," he assured her, placing a kiss on her forehead after he helped her slide onto the gurney.

Puck waited until Quinn was loaded into the ambulance before he grabbed Beth's car seat out of the back of her car, along with her backpack, and Quinn's purse and school bag. He loaded them into his squad car, asked one of the other officers to tell the shift sergeant what was going on, strapped Beth in and pulled behind the ambulance as they made their way to the hospital.

On their way he knew he had a couple of phone calls to make. First, he called Judy and tried to be brief. He knew the less details she knew, the less she would freak out. Next he called his sister, Sara, and asked her to call their mother who was already working at the hospital.

"Daddy," Beth said when he hung up the phone. "Mommy's phone is beeping."

"Can you reach it without getting out of your seat? If you can then hand it to me."

Beth stretched her short arms over the backseat and dug through Quinn's purse, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated hard on finding the phone. Once she grabbed it she handed it forward to Puck.

The screen read _5 Missed Calls-Rachel_. Cursing under his breath Puck dialed her number and pressed the send button.

"Oh my God, Quinn, finally what the hell? I've called you five time, where are you? Are you OK? You did say Breadstix, right? I've been here for an hour!"

"Berry! Will you be quiet for a second?"

"Noah? Why do you have Quinn's phone?"

"Quinn and Beth were in a car accident. They both seem OK but they're taking Quinn to the hospital to check out the baby."

"Don't worry, I'm on my way!"

Before Puck could tell her that she didn't need to come, Rachel had already hung up her phone and, knowing her, she was probably somehow already halfway there.

When they arrived at the hospital the paramedics brought Quinn into the ER with Puck and Beth close behind them and the nurses and doctors took over from there. They wheeled her into an examination area while the worried duo was forced to sit in the waiting room. No sooner had Puck sat down than he saw his mother rounding the corner and walking towards them.

"What happened?" she questioned, bending down to embrace her granddaughter.

"Nana, we got into a car accident and then the other car ran away!"

"It was a hit and run?"

"Yeah," Puck confirmed. "Son of a bitch rear ended them at pretty low speed but then took off. Some kid who was in the other lane caught part of the plate and the make of the car. He stopped and called 9-1-1 and helped Quinn."

"How is she?"

"She seems fine. Little cut on her head, maybe some whiplash or something but other than that they're just going to check on the baby now."

"Did you respond to the call?" Ruth asked her son.

"I heard it over the radio, yeah."

As the older woman pulled her son into hug, a very frazzled looking Judy Fabray came rushing into the Emergency Room in her skirt suit and heels.

"I'm looking for my daughter," she practically yelled to an unenthused receptionist. "Her name is Quinn Puckerman. P-U-C-K."

"Judy," Puck called out, cutting her off mid-spell.

"Noah! I got here as fast as I could. I think I think I might have fun a few red light and I don't care if those damn red light cameras give me a ticket. How is Quinn? Where is she?"

"They took her back to examine her now. Hopefully we'll find something out soon."

"Ruth, can't you go back there and find out what's going on?"

"I don't think the ER nurses would be too happy with me sticking my nose around down here, Judy. Let them do their job and we'll hear something soon."

"That's easy for you to say. You're little girl wasn't wheeled in here a few minutes ago."

"I know exactly what you're going through Judy. When Noah was in high school he got hit by a drunk driver and I was in the same position you are in."

"Mr. Puckerman?" an ER nurse called out into the waiting room. "You can go back and sit with your wife now."

Puck nodded and reached for Beth's hand.

"I'm sorry, Sir. Your daughter will have to wait in here."

"But she wants to see her mom," he replied.

"I'm sorry. Hospital policy."

"Hey, kiddo you need to stay with your grandmas while I go with mommy, OK? I'll come back out in a little bit."

Puck was led back to one of the exam cubicles where they had changed Quinn into a hospital gown, put a bandage on her head and hooked her up to a fetal heart monitor. When she saw Puck and the nurse duck behind the curtain she immediate held out her hand to him and he took it instantly.

"They haven't done an ultrasound yet, but the nurse said the heartbeat sounds strong," she offered with a weak smile. "Not irregular or anything."

"Good," Puck replied, kissing her hand and sitting down in the chair next to her bed. "How's your head? Did they stitch it up already?"

"They used that dermabond stuff because it's pretty small. I think the doctor ordered a scan or something so they can make sure I don't have a concussion."

"How do you feel besides that?"

"You mean besides nervous and worried and freaked out?" Quinn asked, attempting a joke. "I'm sore as hell. My shoulder hurts, my back is sore, my hips hurt and I'll probably have a major bruise from the seatbelt."

"You'll be loving those bruises tomorrow when we're at home resting because that seatbelt saved your lives."

"I know, I know. How's Beth?"

"Pissed off that she couldn't come back here with me," Puck smirked. "She's with our moms though so she's fine. I called Sara, too and Rachel. She said she's on her way."

"Oh no she must have been waiting for forever at Breadstix. I completely forgot."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, you were a little busy."

"I don't feel any contractions or anything like when I had Beth. That's got to be good, right?" Quinn asked. "I mean, I can feel it moving around and kicking but no more or less than usual."

"Did you tell the doctor that?"

"Yeah, they asked me like a million questions in five minutes."

"They just want to make sure they don't miss anything."

"I still can't believe this is all happening. What about my car, is it getting towed or something? Beth still hasn't eaten anything for dinner yet and-."

"Quinn, don't think about that right now. Just try to relax. OK? I'm sure our moms can go find her something to eat or maybe Rachel can take her down to the cafeteria when she gets here. We just need to focus on you."

"I'm so sorry."

"Stop saying that. I told you, none of this is your fault. If anyone should be apologizing it should be me. I acted like a jerk on the phone with you earlier. I let you hang up without saying I loved you and then when I heard the call come over my radio that's all I could think about, that you thought I was mad at you."

"We've argued over worse things than a jug of milk," Quinn said.

"But _still_, I'm sorry," Puck apologized, kissing her hand. "I was so freaked out driving over there. I love you and Beth and our baby so much. If anything happened to any of you…"

"Hey, weren't you the one just telling me not to think about that?" she said, squeezing her husband's hand tightly. He stood from his chair and bent down close to her so their lips could meet softly and Quinn wound her arm up and around Puck's neck. As awkward as his position was he tried his best to wrap his arms around her. He closed his eyes tightly and clenched his jaw when he heard Quinn sniffle and felt her tears on his neck. He wanted to be the strong one so badly at that moment but the truth was that he was near tears himself. The thought of losing the people he cared most about in the entire world was still fresh in his mind and he knew they weren't out of the woods yet.

The pair was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat and when they looked up a young doctor was standing just inside the cubicle Quinn was in.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said a bit awkwardly. "I'm sure it's been a tense evening for you guys, but hopefully I can relieve some of that. I'm Doctor Marshall, the OBGYN on call here tonight."

"Noah Puckerman," Puck said, straightening up to shake the doctor's outstretched hand.

"And you must be Quinn. Tell me a little bit about your accident."

"Well, I was driving to get dinner with my daughter and when we were stopped at a red light a car hit us from behind."

"How fast would you say it was going? Less than thirty?"

"Probably, it's hard to tell because it all seemed to happen so fast but I think they did try to stop but once they hit me they sort of swerved and kept going."

"It was a hit and run?" Dr. Marshall asked. "Did they find them yet?"

"We're working on it," Puck chimed in. He had told the other two officers on the scene to let him know as soon as they came up with something.

"Well, Quinn the good news right now is that the baby's heartbeat sounds strong and regular so how about we do an ultrasound to make sure there is no placental abruption. That's very common in more high speed car accidents but we want to cover all of our bases."

The nurse who brought Puck to the room came back in with the portable ultrasound machine and prepped Quinn for the exam. Without saying a word, Puck reached for her hand again, kissing it lightly from his spot next to her head.

"Sorry if this is cold," Doctor Marshall said politely when he squirted the gel onto Quinn's belly but she hardly even noticed. She was too busy trying to take deep, calming breaths as they waited for the image to pop up on the screen. Having an ultrasound at a regular check up was enough to give Quinn butterflies, so when it was necessary to rule out a possible problem or complication it was difficult for her to mask her concern.

"Alright, there's our little patient," the doctor said moving the wand around. "Here's the head and an arm and foot. From the looks of this everything seems to be OK. It doesn't look like the baby sustained any type of trauma."

"Oh thank God," Quinn breathed as a tear slid down her cheek. "Sorry, I'm just happy."

"That's quite understandable, Mrs. Puckerman. Do you guys know what you're having? I could tell you."

"We want it to be a surprise," Puck replied. "We knew the first time around so we want to switch it up this time."

"So Doctor, when can I go home?"

"Well, even though everything is showing us that things are fine, we generally want to observe and monitor you for a few hours. I see on your chart that you're still waiting for a CT scan as well."

"I'm not going home tonight, am I?"

"By the time you get down to imaging and back and by the time a doctor reads the scan we're already looking at ten-thirty or eleven. As long as that turns out alright I don't see why you can't leave first thing in the morning, but you should still take it easy for a few days. I'd say wait until Monday before you head back to work."

"Thanks Doc," Puck said, shaking Doctor Marshall's hand once again as the nurse cleaned up Quinn and helped her readjust her hospital gown.

"That's a relief," she sighed, running her hand across her bump.

"Yup, she's a tough cookie," Puck replied, slipping his hand under hers.

"Or _he_."

"I don't know why you and Beth are so convinced it's going to be a boy. Boys are nothing but trouble. Look at me."

"I guess, you turned out alright though," Quinn smiled. "Besides, she and I are always right."

"Mrs. Puckerman," the nurse said. "They're really backed up down in imaging tonight but we're ready to move you to a real room. The transporter will take you up and then your fan club can visit you."

"I'm gonna go tell them that everything is OK and then I'll bring them up if you're feeling up to it."

"Yeah, I want to see Beth and I guess everyone else, too."

"OK, see you in a few," Puck said pecking her cheek.

He made his way back to the waiting room where he was met by his mother, Judy, Sara with Beth sitting in her lap, Rachel and Finn. He hadn't remembered calling his best friend but, then again, most of the evening had been a blur. He figured Rachel told him since they were on speaking terms again because of the studio construction.

"Well," he said, taking his hands out of his pockets. "So far, so good. They just did an ultrasound and said everything looks OK with the baby."

"What about Quinn?" Judy asked.

"They're pretty sure she's just fine but she hasn't had her CT scan yet so she's not in the clear yet. They don't expect to find anything, but since they want to keep her for a few hours to observe her, she's gonna have to stay overnight, just as a precaution."

"I wanna see Mommy," Beth announced, hopping off of Sara's lap.

"Well, they just moved her to a new room and Mommy wants to see you, too. You guys can all come up. She's in 532. Maybe give us a ten minute head start though?"

"Come on Daddy!" the little girl announced, grabbing Puck's hand. "Show me where to go."

**Please Review :)**


	6. Chapter 5 Part II

**A/N: Here is the second half of Chapter 5 (finally)! Thank you all so much for all of the comments and reviews. I'm glad I decided to split up this chapter because it ended up being a little longer than I anticipated. Sorry if there are still some typos, it's a little late and my eyes are tired so I plan on fixing them tomorrow. The next chapter will include some Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year's festivities for the Puckerman family as long as some fun for Puck and Finn as they decide to start their own band to keep some music in their lives. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Xoxo –Katie**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. **

Puck led Beth through the hospital and up to the room Quinn had been assigned to. He was trying to figure out whether or not to have someone take Beth home after she saw Quinn or let her stay with him until he was ready to leave. As they approached the room number he had written on his hand he stopped and knelt down next to Beth.

"I know you're anxious to see Mommy and she's been wanting to see you but remember that we're in a hospital so we should try and be quiet, especially since her head is still a little sire, OK?"

"Gotcha," Beth replied, giving her dad a thumbs up.

When they walked into the room, Quinn was propped up in her hospital bed, head resting on a couple of pillows. Her eyes had been closed but as soon as she heard her husband and daughter walk into the room she opened them and offered the pair a small smile.

"Hi, B-Bug," she said, holding her hand out to Beth. Instead of simply taking it, the girl began to climb up into the hospital bed.

"Beth, I'm not sure," Puck began before his wife cut him off.

"It's alright," she said, wrapping Beth in a hug and kissing the top of her head.

"Daddy said the baby is OK, right?" she asked.

"Yes, the baby is just fine. They took pictures of it to make sure. Your little brother or sister must know about all of the excitement going on because they're moving around. Can you feel?"

Beth placed her small hand on Quinn's belly and waited patiently to feel the movement there, giggling when she felt a little flutter.

"Mommy, if the baby is OK then how come you have to stay here tonight?"

"Because I hit my head and they just want to make sure everything is OK because I can go home."

"Can I stay here with you?"

"No, baby," Quinn smiled. "You need to go home later and go to bed. I'll be home in the morning."

"Is Daddy coming home tonight?"

"Yeah," Puck nodded. "I should be home a little bit later tonight."

"But who's going to be at home with me?" Beth asked.

"Maybe Uncle Finn and Aunt Rachel can take you home and stay with you for a little while. Or Grandma Judy."

"I want Uncle Finn and Aunt Rachel! I _always_ see Grandma."

"We'll see B-Bug."

Not long after Puck and Beth made it to Quinn's room, everyone else arrived, Judy being the first to poke her head around the doorframe.

"That seemed like way less than ten minutes," Puck mumbled under his breath.

"Can we come in?" Judy asked.

"Yeah, Mom," Quinn replied over the top of Beth's head. "You all really didn't have to stay. I'm leaving in the morning anyway."

"I was so worried when Noah called tonight."

"Well, we're fine so now there's nothing to worry about."

"Let me know if you need _anything_ over the next couple of days. Anything at all."

"Thanks Mom. I'll keep that in mind."

"Do you guys know who did it?" Sara asked.

"Not yet," Puck replied. "But we know what kind of car it was and part of a license plate so it's really only a matter of time before they find the car."

"Quinn if you don't think you'll feel up to making the casserole and pie for Thursday, let me know and we'll cover it. I imagine you'll be sore for a couple of days," Ruth said.

"I think I'll be OK with it and if I'm not I'll just make Puck do it."

"I should get back to work but I'm on until eleven if you need anything or people are giving you a hard time."

"Me, too," Sara said. "I've got some homework to finish but I'm glad you're OK. Maybe we could go for that mani-pedi sometime this week."

"That sounds great. I'll call you later on."

Everyone said their goodbyes save for Finn and Rachel who hung back from the rest of the group.

"So much for our dinner at Breadstix," Rachel said. "Raincheck?"

"Yeah, maybe sometime next week," Quinn smiled. "It sucks because I was _really_ looking forward to some actual breadsticks."

"Have you eaten anything?" Puck asked and Quinn shook her head. "OK, maybe that was a dumb question. I didn't expect the ambulance to stop at a drive-thru. You must be hungry. Want me to run out and get something?"

"We could get you something," Rachel suggested.

"Or better yet," Finn added. "If you're still in the mood, Breadstix _does_ deliver."

"Finn, you're my hero," Quinn replied. "I don't have the number."

"Then it's a good thing I have the number in my phone."

"Why am I not surprised?" Rachel asked.

"Hey, I'm a single bachelor living alone. Do you really think I cook for myself outside of Ramen noodle? Besides, it's coming in handy, isn't it?

Finn handed the number over to Quinn and she placed her order, making sure they would deliver to the hospital and instructed Puck to meet the delivery boy in the in the hospital lobby. She ordered extra breadsticks and promised to share them with Beth before she went home. Throughout the course of the night her daughter stayed by Quinn's side on the hospital bed, even dozing off briefly against her chest.

"Baby, I think maybe you should go home and get to bed," Quinn said, nudging her shoulder.

"No. I want to stay here with you," she replied.

"You can't sweetie. Aunt Rachel and Uncle Finn said they would take you home and stay there until Daddy gets home later."

"Do I have to?"

"Please? It would make me happy and you'll get to see me tomorrow."

"OK." Beth gave Quinn a hug and a kiss and left with Rachel and Finn.

"She would have stayed on the bed with you all night if she could have," Puck said, sitting down in the chair next to the bed.

"I know, but they still have to take me down for that stupid CT scan and I didn't want her to freak out about it. Speaking of, they sure are taking a long time coming to get me for that."

"It's not like you're really going anywhere, babe."

"I know, but I want to get it over with. I just want all of this shit to be over with."

"Everything is fine; it's just something they have to do."

"Yeah, but it could have easily been _not _fine. What if that asshole hit us from the side? What if they were going faster? What if something happened to Beth?"

"Let's just be happy that we don't have to worry about any of that. The guys are working on it and, like I said, they're gonna find out who did it. I promise that bastard's not getting away with it."

"I know and I know that if you didn't think you'd get in trouble or get fired, you'd be out there right now playing Batman or something. The thing is, if this would have just happened to me, I don't think I would have cared as much but the fact is that out little girl was in the car, too and I seriously don't know what I would have done if something bad would have happened to her or this bay. I think I'd be a wreck."

"Like I said, baby," Puck said, taking her hand in his and giving it a gentle squeeze. "We're lucky we don't have to worry about that."

He was about to say more when there was a knock on the door and a transporter came in to take Quinn down for her CT scan. Instead of going with, she urged Puck to find something to eat and meet her back in her hospital room when she was done.

XXXXX

"Beth, don't you think it's time to go to bed?" Rachel asked the seven-year-old as she colored at the kitchen table.

"Nope," she replied without looking up.

"But it's getting a little late," Finn tried.

"So?"

"So, sleep is important. So you can grow."

"Then _you_ must have slept a lot when you were my age, Uncle Finn. I'm making this banner for Mommy when she gets home."

"Sweetie, we can finish it in the morning because I'll be back when your dad goes to pick your mom up."

"NO! I wanna finish it now!"

"Rach, maybe you should just let her," Finn suggested. "If she's anything like Quinn when she gets mad, we don't want to push her too far."

"I think you're right," Rachel whispered back. "Maybe we should just offer to help so that she finishes sooner rather than later."

The pair helped Beth as much as they were allowed to despite the fact that she told Finn that he was a bad colorer. Somehow, they managed to convince her to put her pajamas on and climb into bed sometime close to ten o'clock.

"Do you think she's actually asleep up there?" Finn asked as he and Rachel wandered into the family room and sat down on the sofa.

"Probably not, but the only thing she could be doing up there is playing with her dolls or reading. At least she's being quiet."

"She's had a crazy day."

"No kidding. I wonder if she's more shaken up about it than she's letting on. It's not like either of her parents were always good about telling people how they felt. I'd be freaked out if I was a kid who had been in an accident and my mom was in the hospital. I mean, I know Quinn's fine, but to a seven-year-old that's really scary. And I can't imagine what must have been going through Puck's head."

"You know, when he called me the only thing I could think about was you," Finn said.

"Me? Why me?" Rachel asked him curiously.

"When Puck called me, I'd never hear him sound so freaked out and all I could think about was what I would do if you were in that situation."

"I don't understand."

"I miss you, Rach. Even though we've been split up for a little while I never stop thinking about you, not for one single day. When I walked up those stairs over there a couple of months ago and saw you sitting at the kitchen table I was shocked and I thought that maybe I could get a second chance. I know you're going through a lot right now with the studio and Quinn said you're working on yourself, but I can't pass this up. I know I don't deserve a second chance, or a third or fourth or whatever this is but don't you think all of this proves something? How many times have we tried not being together or tried taking a break and we still always found our way back together? Remember back in high school? We're tethered to each other and we always will be. Who the hell knows what might happen tomorrow or the next day or the day after that? All I know is you're the only girl I wanna be with and if you're not ready to be in a relationship that's fine, I'll wait for you because you're my soul mate, Rachel and we're meant to be together."

"Finn, that's one of the most beautiful things you've ever said to me," Rachel said softly. "And I feel the same way, really I do, but-."

"Why does there have to be a _but_?"

"If we do this again, _when_ we do this again, I want to take this slow because I want to make sure that we make this work because I don't want either of us to get hurt again."

"I never want to hurt you again Rachel, ever."

I know you don't," she said, placing her hand on his cheek. "Like I said, we can just take it slow."

"Does taking it slow involve being able to kiss you right now because I really want to."

"I think that might be acceptable," Rachel replied, leaning forward to join their lips together for what seemed like the first time in forever.

XXXXX

Puck was sitting next to Quinn on her hospital bed as best as he could, given the small size of it and the awkward position he was in. One of his legs hung off the edge as Quinn leaned back against his chest as he ran his fingers soothingly through her hair. She had been back from her CT scan for over a half an hour and they just received the news they expected, that everything was fine.

"Can you just smuggle me out of here with you tonight?" Quinn asked.

"What? Like slap some cuff on you so people think I'm escorting a convict out or something?"

"Wouldn't be the first time I've had them on."

"Oh, someone's cheeky tonight. I've pretty sure you can sign something and leave. They can't keep you here against your will but then they can't be held responsible for anything."

"I can't do that because, God forbid, if something happened after I went home, I'd be kicking myself so I'll stay and be a good little girl."

"I feel bad leaving you here."

"Were you getting ready to leave?" Quinn asked, looking up at him.

"Not if you don't want me to, baby."

"You need to go eventually, but maybe just stay for a little bit longer. Maybe then I'll be able to fall asleep."

"Do you want another pillow or anything?"

"I'm OK. I doubt it would help me get any more comfortable. I guess now I know why you didn't like it when I drove in the snow while I was pregnant with Beth."

"I was trying to protect you," Puck said with a shrug, not really noticing Quinn had been joking. "I can't always keep you guys safe though. No matter how hard I try, there's things even I can't control."

"_Please_ don't tell me you blame yourself for any of this," Quinn replied, sitting up. Puck merely shrugged again. "Noah, listen to me. This was an _accident_. It wasn't any of our faults except whoever hit me. You've done nothing but made me feel safe and protected for as long as we've been together. From the day I loved in with you to the day Beth was born, to going to college together, working through my freak out senior year and getting married. I've never felt safer and more loved than when I'm with you. Do you know what I was thinking about during the CT scan?"

Puck shook his head. "What?"

"I was thinking about the end of junior year of college…when we had our little scare…"

_XXXXXflashbackXXXXX_

_It wasn't until she threw up that afternoon that Quinn gave serious thought to the idea that she might be pregnant. For a few days she had felt off, not quite like she had a cold, but she didn't really feel like it was bad enough for it to be the flu. It was the week before finals began and she was up to her neck in tests, papers and projects, so for a couple of days she brushed it off as being a side effect of dealing with all of that plus an almost five-year-old running around. She tried to remember the last time she had Puck had sex. She counted back two, or was it three, weeks before. 'I've been on the pill,' she thought, checking her purse to make sure she didn't skip a day on accident. Quinn let her head fall into her hands as her elbows rested on the kitchen table. _

"_What am I going to do?" she wondered out loud. _

_She needed to tell Puck. If there was even the slightest chance that she might be pregnant, he needed to know for a few reasons. First, she couldn't keep something like that from him, not like the last time. __If__ she was pregnant she wouldn't, couldn't, keep it a secret from him. Second of all, she wanted to tell him because she needed his support. Even if she didn't want to put any more stress on him she knew it was something they needed to face together. _

_Quinn waited until they put Beth to bed for the night before even attempting to address the subject. She was putting their dishes away while Puck opened the fridge and pulled out a beer, asking her if she wanted one. He shrugged his shoulders when she shook her head and used a bottle opener to remove the lid. _

"_I think I might be pregnant," she blurted out while he was mid-swig._

"_Wait…what?" Puck asked, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. Quinn couldn't tell if he was upset or just in shock. _

"_There's a chance I could be. I-I mean, I haven't been feeling well lately and I think I'm a couple of days late."_

"_But you're on the pill."_

"_I know and I've been taking it, I swear Puck. I haven't missed a single one but it's only ninety-nine percent effective. I'm sorry. I'm __so__ sorry. What are we going to do?"_

_Quinn didn't want to cry, she really didn't. She wanted to be strong and calm and rational about everything but when all of her pent up emotions started bubbling to the surface she couldn't keep her eyes from filling with tears and couldn't stop them from falling down her face. Through bleary eyes she watched as Puck set his bottle onto the kitchen table, took a few steps towards her, and wrapped his arms around her body. Quinn buried her head in his chest, hoping to muffle the sound of her crying because she just couldn't stop once she had started. _

"_Quinn, listen to me," Puck said gently, rubbing his hand over her back in an attempt to soothe her. "We're going to be OK." _

"_I'm sorry."_

"_Shhh. Stop apologizing. You haven't done anything wrong." _

"_But what if I __am_ _pregnant?" she asked, lifting her face up. "What are we going to do? I start student observation in the fall and then student teaching in the spring and how are we going to afford another baby? I'd need to get a job and-."_

"_Quinn, stop. Breathe for a second, OK? Come on, take a big breath in with me and let it out," Puck said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "First of all, we don't even know if you're pregnant yet. Did you take one of those home test things?" _

_Quinn shook her head. _

"_OK, so maybe we should start there and if you __are__ pregnant, we'll figure it out together. I promise everything is going to be fine. We've done this before, right? Now we're a little older and a little smart. We'd make it work."_

"_I guess you're right." _

"_So we'll go get one of those tests tomorrow and find out." _

"_I wish we could do it tonight. This waiting is going to kill me." _

"_Do you want to run out and buy one tonight." _

"_I would, but I don't really feel like I should be driving tonight. I'm just too freaked out." _

_Puck thought for a moment, noticing how scared and small Quinn looked to him. "I'll go," he offered. "Just tell me what kind to get and I'll run out and get it." _

"_You don't have to," Quinn said. _

"_I want to, so just tell me what kind or show me a picture or something I don't get the wrong one." _

_Leaving Quinn huddled on the couch, Puck sped to the store. He took a deep breath and ran his hand over his face and mouth. Knowing he had to be strong for Quinn, he pushed the fears he was holding onto aside, refusing to give into them. His biggest concern wasn't whether or not they'd be able to handle a baby, he already knew they could, but he worried about how they would pay for everything and how Quinn would finish school and how he would complete his last year at the police academy. His job at the bar and Quinn's scholarships paid for most of what they needed, along with the money her father put into her checking account. Puck wondered if Russell would continue to do so if his daughter was pregnant again. _

_No matter what happened, Puck knew he needed to be there for Quinn. He needed to make sure she was certain they were in this together and that he'd do anything and everything for their family. He hated seeing her so stressed out over all of her school work when he knew she was pulling A's in all of her classes. _

_Parking his truck, Puck hurried inside the twenty-four hour drug store to search for what he was looking for. He found the aisle with all of the pregnancy tests in it and began scanning the shelves for the kind Quinn instructed him to buy. Grabbing it, he took it to the cashier and pulled out his wallet, ignoring the odd looks he was receiving and paid for what he needed. _

_Quinn was exactly where he left her on the couch when Puck walked through the door of their apartment. Her knees were pulled up to her chin and she look up at him when he handed her the box._

"_That was fast," she mumbled, taking it into her hands._

"_Yeah, well the store was pretty dead," Puck replied, sitting down next to her. _

"_You didn't see anyone we know, did you?"_

"_Nah, I went to the one just off of campus to avoid that." _

"_Thanks. Well…I might as well get this over with," Quinn said, tearing into the cardboard box and pulling out the white stick. _

"_Do you want any help?"_

"_No. What are you going to do? Hold the stick while I pee on it?"_

"_I dunno, I just-."_

"_I'm sorry," Quinn sighed. "You didn't deserve that. I'm just…"_

"_I know," Puck nodded, reaching out to take her hand. "I'll just hang over here."_

"_You can read the instructions. I mean, I know how to pee on a stick, but can you check to see how long we have to let it sit for?"_

"_Yeah, no problem."_

_Quinn went into the bathroom and sat down on the toilet. She took a deep breath and opened the plastic wrapping with trembling fingers. It took her a few moments to force herself to go to the bathroom and when she was done she washed her hands and wrapped the stick in a piece of toilet paper before walking out of the bathroom. _

"_How long do we have to wait?" she asked, setting it down on the kitchen counter. _

"_Three minutes," Puck replied. "That's what the instructions said."_

_Quinn sat back down on the couch and began to chew nervously on her lower lip. Three minutes might as well have been three hours to her and if Puck was not sitting next to her with a soothing hand on her knee, she would have crawled right out of her skin. She jumped when the timer on her phone went off and placed her hand over Puck's. _

"_Will you look for me?" she asked. "I just can't."_

"_Yeah. What am I looking for? A plus sign?"_

"_Mmmhmm," Quinn replied. "A pink one." _

_Puck squeezed his girlfriend's knee and stood from the couch, walking over to the kitchen counter and picking up the pregnancy test. He held it up to the light and looked at it curiously, trying to decipher what it said. _

"_Well?" Quinn asked. "Is it positive or negative?"_

"_Uhhh…I don't know." _

"_What do you mean? Is there a plus sign or not?"_

"_There's…like a solid line going this way but the other line is really __really__ faint."_

"_Let me see it," Quinn said, joining him in the kitchen. She took the test from Puck and looked at it with her own eyes, finding the same result. _

"_So what does that mean? Pregnant or not pregnant?"_

"_I have no idea. When I took the test when I found out I was pregnant with Beth it was super clear. This is….this is like it's saying 'maybe'."_

"_You want me to get another one?" Puck offered. _

"_No," Quinn decided. "I guess I'll just go to the student health clinic tomorrow. I really wanted some peace of mind either way tonight though." _

"_Well it looks like it's trying to say 'positive' but it only got halfway there." _

"_But I can't be half pregnant. God, this is so damn frustrating," she said, tossing the test into the garbage can. _

"_I know," Puck muttered. _

"_How are you so damn calm about all of this?"_

"_I'm not. But I'm also not gonna freak out about something we're not sure of and I'm not going to freak out over that I know we can handle."_

"_But how can you be sure about it?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips._

"_Because we've done it before and because it's you and me and we can really do it if we have to." _

"_How would we do it?" she questioned as they lay in bed a few moments later. _

"_Hmmm?" he asked, opening his eyes. _

"_If I'm pregnant, how are we going to make this work?"_

"_Let's cross that bridge when we come to it."_

"_No," Quinn said, sitting up and turning on the light on her nightstand. "If I can't sleep anyway I need to know how we would make this work." _

"_We'd just make it work. We made it work with Beth except now it's less complicated. We're already together. We're stable. We want more kids someday, don't we? So we got another head start on it, so what? It's May now so you'd be due in February, that's not too far off from Spring break. Maybe you could work something out with whoever you're student teaching with. Maybe your mom can come here and help out. I'll be done with my training in a year and there's a good chance I'll get a job when we move back home so for a few months we might have to run a tight ship, but we'd do it. We have a place back home where we can live for as long or as little as we need to. We'd make it work, trust me. We can do this." _

"_This is why I love you so much," Quinn said, leaning over to hug him. "You always make it sound like we can do anything." _

"_Because we __can__," Puck replied, kissing the top of her head. "You should really try to get some sleep."_

_Settling into Puck's arms, Quinn laid her head on his chest. It was still difficult for her to fall asleep so instead, she let her mind wander to their possible future. There was a time when she refused to let herself think that far ahead but now it was so easy to imagine spending the rest of her life with Puck. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that they'd be married in a few years and she couldn't wait until she was Mrs. Noah Puckerman. 'Puck was right,' she told herself. By the time the baby came he would nearly be done with training and they'd just have to try and save up between now and then. They still had Beth's baby furniture and stroller and they could put a crib in their room until they found a place of their own back home in Lima. There was so much she didn't have to worry about because she knew Puck would be helpful and supportive and maybe this time around they'd have a little boy who looked just like him. Sure, they'd be young parents and it would be hard but at least they'd both finish out their educations. It wasn't and ideal situation but it also wasn't as bad as it could be. As Quinn heard Puck's breathing even out she knew he had fallen asleep and she pressed a kiss into his t-shirt and closed her eyes. _

_XXXXX_

_The next day, Puck sat in the waiting room of the student health clinic waiting for Quinn to come out of one of the exam rooms. She hadn't asked him to follow her and he doubted the burly looking nurse would let him anyway. He twiddled his thumbs and played with his phone to try and make the time go by faster but the second hand seemed to crawl across the clock in the room. Finally, Quinn emerged from behind a door and grabbed her purse from him and walked out of the clinic without saying a single word. Puck followed her out to the car and started it before looking over to her with a curious face._

"_Well, did you-."_

"_I'm not pregnant," Quinn cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "They said I probably had a bug or something and they said at least now I don't have anything to worry about." _

"_Oh," Puck said stupidly, but he wasn't exactly sure what else to say. _

"_So let's just go home now because I can still get a little bit of work done before we pick up Beth from pre-school." _

"_Are you sure you don't want-."_

"_I __want__ to go home, OK?" Quinn snapped. _

"_OK," Puck nodded, pulling out of the parking lot and driving back to their apartment. _

_Quinn stayed pretty quiet most of the afternoon, working on one of her English papers at the kitchen table until they picked Beth up from school and her mood seemed to lighten at least a little bit for the remainder of the evening until it was time for Puck to go to work. _

"_You sure you don't want me to stay home or anything?" he asked after they put Beth to sleep._

"_No," she scoffed, brushing him off. "I'm fine, really. I'll probably go to bed in a little bit anyway. I'd rather get some sleep tonight and be refreshed tomorrow than just be dead tired are all because I pulled an all nighter."_

"_Alright, I should be home around midnight. Love you," Puck said, kissing Quinn. _

"_Love you, too," she replied with a small smile. _

_Puck was a bartender at one of the restaurants in town that wasn't one of the skeezy campus bars. Not only were the tips and clientele better, but they also closed earlier so he was home at a decent time. Quinn waited for him to leave before grabbing her pajamas and heading into the bathroom. Leaving the door open in case Beth woke up with a random nightmares, she lit a couple of candles, turned on her iPod and drew a bath for herself, soaking in the soapy water until her fingertips with wrinkly and the water went cold. She felt melancholy and lethargic, but mostly she wasn't sure how she should feel at all. She lay down in her bed and hugged a pillow close to her chest. _

_A large part of her felt relieved for a number of reasons. Now they wouldn't have to like paycheck to paycheck for the next year or more. Now, she wouldn't have to worry about finding time to have a baby during her semester of student teaching. Now they wouldn't have to tell their parents and at least she didn't have to worry about possibly being disowned for the second time. As much as she tried to fight it though, Quinn couldn't help but be disappointed as well. After taking the test the night before, she had accepted the fact that she could be pregnant again and after talking with Puck she was leaning towards being excited to have another baby. Beth was perfect. She was their perfect thing and they made her together so any new baby would be equally as special and perfect. She blamed herself for letting her mind wander far enough into the future to think of a little boy running around with a mohawk and a lightsaber. She had been foolish to think that way and now she had to deal with it. _

_At some point she fell asleep but woke up with a start when she heard the door to the bathroom close and she knew by glancing over at the alarm clock that Puck was home from work. He began to creep into the room until he realized she was awake and straightened up a little. _

"_I thought you were going to sleep," he said, sitting down on his side of the bed and swinging his legs onto the mattress. _

"_I was but I just woke up," Quinn explained. _

"_Oh, sorry." _

_Not your fault." _

"_Are you OK?" Puck asked, wrapping an arm around Quinn's body from behind. _

"_Not really," she finally admitted with a defeated sigh._

"_What's wrong babe, you can tell me."_

"_I just…I know it sounds stupid but now I feel really disappointed. You just made it sound OK and I started to get a little excited about it and now I just feel…nothing." _

"_We're gonna be OK," he said against her hair. "You know that, right?"_

"_Yeah," she replied weakly, gripping his hand a little tighter. "I just feel like I lost something I never really had to start with." _

_Puck laid a gentle kiss on her shoulder and pulled her even closer if that was possible. As he breathed in and out he tried to absorb all of the pain and sadness he knew she was feeling. They were quiet for a long time, just lying there in the silence of the darkened room until he heard her sniffle softly. _

"_One day," he said, lifting his head up and resting his chin on her shoulder. "One day, we're gonna have everything you've always dreamed of. I promise. You deserve the best of everything and I'm gonna make sure you get that." _

_XXXXX_

"You thought of that?" Puck asked.

"Yeah, I know it's stupid but I couldn't imagine losing this baby after wanting it for so long. After that scare I just always thought about what it would be like if we had another baby."

"Well, I don't think they're going anywhere. They're tough, just like their mamma."

"That's one of the first times in a long time that you haven't called it a girl. Are you finally admitting that I'm actually right about it being a boy?"

"I dunno…maybe I could be. You do look different this time around."

"What do you mean?"

"Just like a different shape. I guess having a boy wouldn't be so bad."

"You guess?"

"It might be kinda cool to, you know, show him how to do some stuff."

"I think you'd be absolutely amazing with our little boy."

"Yeah?"

"Mmmhmm, and I know you have this irrational fear that you'll be like your dad, but you've already proven one thousand times over that you're not him."

"Thank you," Puck said, kissing Quinn.

"Is it bad that I've already started thinking about names?" she asked.

"Not really. We can't call them _hey you_ forever. What were you thinking of for a boy?"

"Alexander? Alex or Zander for short," Quinn suggested and Puck wrinkled his nose. "What?"

"It's just…I don't know, not my favorite. It's not really what I had in mind."

"So you _have_ been thinking about boy names, too?"

"Maybe a little," Puck admitted. "I'm guessing you won't let me put Jack Daniels on the table…just kidding."

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Alright. What did you really have in mind then?"

"What about Jacob?"

"As in Jewfro? Ew."

"No, as in my grandpa's middle name."

"Oh," Quinn said. She liked the sound of the name but didn't know if she could separate it from Jacob Ben Israel.

"Come on, he could reclaim the name Jacob for awesome badassness. We could call him Jake for short. Jacob Ezra maybe."

"I think I really like that."

"Really?" Puck asked. "Or are you just saying that?"

"No," Quinn smiled. "I really like it."

"Well, what about for a girl? We should have one of those ready, too."

"For a girl I really like the name Abigail, Abby for short. Or maybe Grace…"

"Put 'em together. Abigail Grace. It's cute. Hey, if it _is_ a girl, then our daughters would be B-A. Get it? Beth and Abby, Badass?"

"Yes, I get it and now I want it to be a boy even more than I did before," Quinn said with a laugh that turned into a yawn.

"You should sleep, babe. I should get home to relieve Rachel and Finn. I'll be back in the morning. Want me to bring you some fresh clothes?"

"Yeah, just go in the bottom left drawer of my dresser and bring whatever pair of sweatpants and sweatshirt you find. I don't really care if it matches."

"OK," Puck said, trying to commit all of that to memory as he hopped off the hospital bed. He leaned down and kissed Quinn's lips softly, his hand lightly rubbing the cure of her belly. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she replied, covering his hand with her own for a moment before he reluctantly pulled away and left her for the night with the instructions to call him if she needed anything at all.

XXXX

It was nearly midnight by the time Puck finally got home and he felt bad that Finn and Rachel had been at his house so late. He thanked both of them for everything and was grateful when Rachel offered to come by the next morning to stay with Beth while he picked up Quinn from the hospital. Before heading to bed, he made a list of things he needed to do the next day which included calling the station, the insurance company and the body shop Quinn's car had been towed to. Once he was finished, he climbed the stairs to his bedroom.

"Daddy," a small voice called out to him. Turning, he saw Beth peeking her head around her bedroom door.

"B-Rex, you're supposed to be asleep."

"I was but I woke up when you came home. Is mommy still OK?"

"Yup she just misses you. Let's get you back to bed. The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner you'll wake up and she'll be home."

"But I can't fall back to sleep. I tried everything, even counting dinosaurs."

"Do you want me to keep you company until you fall asleep?" Puck offered and Beth nodded. He followed her into the bedroom and climbed into the bed next to her, pulling the bed spread over his daughter.

"Daddy will you tell me a story?" she asked.

"A story? I'm not really good with stories. That's kind of your mom's area."

"Please?"

"What kind of story?"

"A story about me, but like before I was born."

"How do I tell a story about you before you were born?"

"You know, when mommy has the baby you guys will them about when mommy was in the car accident. I want a story like that, too."

"Hmmm. Well lemme think about that for a second," Puck said, trying to collect his thoughts enough to figure out how to turn the story of their sophomore year into a bedtime story for a seven-year-old.

"Daddy, I'm waiting," Beth huffed impatiently.

"OK, OK. Well When Mommy and I were-."

"No! You hafta start it _Once upon a time_ like in the fairy tales."

"Alright. Once upon a time when Mommy and I were really young, we made a few…mistakes. Now, I need you to understand that you are _not_ one of them. But there were some things that I did that we weren't supposed to do, some rules that I broke…but one day Mommy came to me and told me that we made a baby. We were scared, your mom was a little more scared than I was and she asked me to keep it a secret. A really, really big secret."

"Why a secret?" Beth asked. "Why was I a secret?"

"You see, at the time your Mommy and I weren't exactly together. We loved each other, but we weren't boyfriend and girlfriend yet. Like I said, Mommy was scared. She wasn't scared because it was a surprise or because it was something she didn't want. She was scared because of how much she wanted you and how much we both loved you from the moment we found out you were in her tummy. She was scared because we were really young and she didn't know if she could be a good mommy. That's when I came in. I told her that everything would be OK and that because we both loved you very much we would find a way to make it work, and we did. And now we have the most perfect, most beautiful little girl in the world. Do you know what your name means?"

Puck watched as Beth sleepily shook her head.

"_Elizabeth_ means _home_. You're our home, baby girl. You're the best part about Mommy and me and you turned out to be so perfect. That's why we wanted to have another little baby who would be like you and we wanted you to be able to show them how to do all of the amazing things you do. You know, one night I had to work late at Uncle Burt's shop and I called Mommy to say goodnight because I knew you'd both be sleeping when I got home. Driving home I got into a car accident."

"Like the one Mommy and me got into today?" Beth asked with heavy eyelids.

"Kinda but mine was a little bit worse. I think that was one of the only times I was ever really _really_ scared because I got off the phone without telling your mommy I loved her like I always do. I don't remember what happened. All I know is that I saw lights. Lots of pretty lights and Mommy flashing before my eyes. I remember just wanting to go to sleep because I was so tired and my head hurt so badly but I couldn't. All I could think about when they drove me to the hospital was you. You and Mommy. And then when I got to the hospital, I saw Mommy and everything was OK again. You wanna know what you did? When Mommy took me home she put my hand on her belly and you kicked. You kicked for the first time ever. I knew that you were one of the reasons I fought so hard that night. You are the most important thing to me and your Mommy."

By the time Puck finished his story, Beth was sound asleep on top of him. He sighed, carefully kicking off his shoes and readjusting the covers over both of them. Setting the alarm on his cell he placed it on the nightstand and placed a soft kiss to Beth's messy brown hair and falling asleep.

XXXX

When they got home the next morning, Quinn let Puck help her out of his truck. She had been in a little pain the night before, but most of it was concentrated in her head. She woke up the next morning from what little sleep she got in the uncomfortable bed with a stiff back and a very sore shoulder and hips from her seat belt. The doctor who discharged her said that she would probably be sore for a few days and the best thing she could do was rest and place a heating pad on her shoulder. She was so exhausted, both physically and emotionally that the only thing she wanted to do was find a comfortable position and sleep for the majority of the day. Puck retrieved her bag from the car and easily caught up with Quinn t open the front door for her. The second she stepped inside, she saw a large homemade sign that said _Welcome Home Mommy!_

"You're home!" Beth exclaimed as she skipped out of the kitchen. "Can I hug you, or will it hurt?"

"I think hugs from you could only help, just not too tight."

Beth nodded and wrapped her arms around Quinn who bent over slightly to kiss the top of her daughter's head.

"We're all so glad that you and the baby are OK," Rachel said.

"Thank you for all of your help and for keeping an eye on Beth for us. If you see Finn before I do will you thank him for me, too?"

"Of course. I should get going. I'm sure you want to rest."

"Thanks again Rach. I'll call you either tonight or tomorrow."

"Mommy, I made breakfast for you. Well, Aunt Rachel did most of it, but I helped."

"Oh that sounds wonderful," Quinn lied. She really wasn't very hungry but Beth seemed so excited and she also knew that she needed to eat something. She followed her daughter into the kitchen an eased herself down into a chair while Puck and Beth fixed her a plate complete with pancakes and bacon. She finished all of her bacon and half of her pancakes before she downed the rest of her orange juice.

"Daddy said I could stay home from school today, too," Beth said.

"That's fine, but you have to go back tomorrow, OK?"

"OK."

"Are you going to keep me company then, B-Bug?"

"Mmhmm."

"I called into work already, too," Puck added, picking up Quinn's plate and putting it into the dishwasher.

"You really didn't have to," Quinn replied. "I would have been just fine with Beth."

"I know," she shrugged. "But I wanted to, just in case. Plus I need to drive over to the body shop and talk to them about fixing your car and then call the car insurance company, too."

"Thanks for handling all of that. I should probably take a shower before I climb into bed. I want to wash that hospital feel off of me."

Quinn climbed the stairs up to her bedroom and rid herself of the sweatpants and zip up hoodie Puck had brought her to wear home from the hospital. She turned on the tap in the master bathroom and stepped into the shower, letting the warm, soothing water cascade over her body. As she washed her body, she took note of the bruises on her shoulder and hips with a slight frown. After a few minutes she could tell that the water was relaxing her even more and she was ready to lie down for the afternoon. Drying off, she slipped into a pair of yoga pants and one of Puck's Police Academy t-shirts and descended the stairs. The mess from breakfast was cleaned up and she smiled to herself. _So this is what it takes for people to clean up their mess?_

"Puck," she called out from the top of the stairs that led into the family room.

"At the computer, babe," he replied

"I'm going to lie down now."

"Do you need anything?"

"No, I don't think so."

"OK, I'm gonna run those errands then. Are you sure I can't get you anything?" Puck asked, climbing a few of the stairs until he stood on the one just below hers, making them the same height.

"I'm positive," Quinn said, placing her hands on his shoulders. "I just really want to get some more sleep. I feel like I could sleep all day."

"If you sleep all day you won't be able to sleep tonight."

"True. I might just nap until lunchtime then."

"I'll be sure to be quiet when I get home then," Puck promised, placing his hands gently on Quinn's hips, aware of the tender spots as he ran his thumbs over them.

"Or you could join us," she suggested. "I'm assuming you didn't get a lot of sleep last night either."

"That would be a correct assumption. I think I might take you up on that offer."

"Beth, are you going to come up here with me?" Quinn called down to her daughter.

When Puck left, Quinn and Beth climbed into her bed and she tried to get as comfortable as possible by propping pillows up all around her before the little girl settled into her arms. She turned the small TV that sat in the corner of her room on to some random kid's channel in case Beth didn't actually feel like sleeping. Quinn drifted off easily and fell into a deep sleep. When she awoke to the phone ringing it seemed like she had been asleep for the whole day.

"Hello?" she said groggily into the receiver, not bothering to check to see who it was.

"Q, thank God. What the fuck, you were in a car accident?"

"Santana, how did you know about it?" she asked, sitting up carefully in the bed and motioning for Beth to stay quiet.

"Berry called and told me this morning. Are you OK? What the hell happened?"

"I'm fine, just a few bumps and bruises, that's all thankfully."

"Jesus, that's still scary. I'm assuming Puck already found the dude and beat the shit out of him."

"Not exactly," Quinn replied. "It's a conflict of interest if he works on the case so he's making himself busy with taking care of the insurance stuff and talking to the guys at the body shop."

"Right. Are you sure you still want all of us over on Friday then?"

"Absolutely. I'm just sore today, a little tired and a little shaken up but I'll be fine by Friday."

"OK, well, I'm still going to come over early to help you set stuff up. That's not me asking you if you need help. That's me telling you that I will help."

"Fine," Quinn replied. "How are you? How's school finishing up?"

"Ugh, this stupid dissertation is a fucking bitch. I can't wait for it to be over. I'm sending it into my professor tonight or tomorrow morning and then I'm not thinking about it until I get back on Monday. I'm guessing you're not coming out tomorrow night."

"No, I'll be making some stuff for Thursday. I'm guess you'll be hung-over until Friday."

"You better believe it. I can't even tell you the last time I got drunk. Do you know how sad that is?"

"You have fun with that. Don't drunk text me, please."

"I won't," Santana assured her. "How's Beth?"

"She's right here. We let her stay home from school today. Do you want to talk to her?"

"Hell yes. Lemme talk to my favorite niece."

"OK but watch your language. She picked up enough of it from Puck," Quinn warned. "B-Bug, Aunt Tana's on the phone and she wants to say hi."

"Ooooh yay!" B eth squealed excitedly, sitting up on the bed, taking the phone from her mother. "Hi, Auntie Tana!"

"What's shakin' bacon? How's my favorite buddy?"

"I'm good. Mommy and I got into a car accident, but we're all good _and_ I get to stay home from school today."

"That doesn't sound too bad at all."

"And I get to see you and Aunt Britt on Friday!"

"You're dam-, er, darn right," Santana said, barely catching her language slip. "Hey if we end up playing some kind of game do you want to be my partner?"

"Yes!" Beth agreed. "Oh my gosh, yes! We'll kick booty!"

"Totally. Other teams better watch out. So are you hanging out with your mom today?"

"Yeah, Daddy said that I hafta help out so that Mommy doesn't do too much today. But she's not supposed to know that."

"Well then I won't tell her. Your secret is safe with me."

"Good. Are you flying all the way here from California?"

"Absolutely. Do you think I want to drive in a car for that long? We had to do it when we moved out here for school. Never again, B-Money. Well…except for when we move back home at the end of next month."

"And then you'll be back for good?"

"At least for a little while. We'll see how long we're back home for. Hey chica, I need to finish working on some homework so let me say bye to your mom and I'll see you on Friday, OK?"

"OK, bye!"

Quinn took the phone from her daughter and quickly finished her conversation with Santana while Beth picked up the remote and began to flip through the channels. As she hung out the girl turned to her with a huge smile.

"Mommy, look! She's making bacon!"

Sure enough, as Quinn looked at the screen she saw Paula Deen frying up some bacon on her Southern cooking show on the Food Network. As she watched the episode, Quinn's stomach began to grumble and she realized that she was a lot hungrier than she was when she first came home from the hospital that morning.

"B-Bug do you want some lunch?"

"Do _you_ want some bacon, Mommy?" Beth asked, giving her mother a look that was one hundred percent Puck. "You just had some for breakfast."

"Yes, I do and if you want me to share, you better not make fun of me."

XXXXX

Puck was the first to the door when the bell rang on Friday morning and he knew exactly who it would be.

"Ew," Santana said when he opened the door.

"Nice to see you, too," he replied.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have a job or something?"

"I'm off today."

"Well I guess it's good to see you, too," the Latina said, begrudgingly hugging Puck awkwardly due to the to-go cups in her hands. "Where's your wife? God, it's still weird as hell to say that."

"Upstairs getting ready. She'll be down in a few minutes. You know chicks."

"Probably better than you do."

"I don't know about that."

"I do."

"Sorry I'm late!" Quinn said, coming down the stairs.

"Well you should be," Santana replied, pulling her friend into a hug. "Jesus Christ, look at you. You're disgustingly gorgeous right now. Please tell me your ankles are swollen or something so I feel better about myself."

"Oh, they're huge," the blonde laughed.

"Good. I come bearing tea for you."

"You're the best. How was Thanksgiving?"

"It was fine, same family bullshit as there is every year that we all seem to forget once Christmas rolls around. How about you? How was the Puckerman Thanksgiving?"

"Good, but there was snow up in Wisconsin so Puck's grandma couldn't come in."

"How's she doing? Wasn't his mom trying to convince her to move back down here?"

"Mmhmm, but Bubbe is stubborn. I think it's hard for her to leave, you know?"

"Did Sara bring her boyfriend over?" Santana asked, sitting down on the couch and pulling her feet underneath her.

"No, and that's a sore subject. I guess he was supposed to and then called to say he wasn't coming. Puck wasn't really happy about it, which is weird because I'm pretty sure he didn't really want to see Shane to start with."

"That's why I don't date men. They're all asshole, even the good ones."

"Do you want any pie?" Quinn asked, still up in the kitchen pouring honey into her tea.

"Is that what you're eating for breakfast?"

"…yes."

"Then yes, I'd love a piece," Santana said, grinning wide when Quinn handed a plate and fork to her. "How sore are you still?"

"Not too bad, but I still have some gnarly bruises that change colors like a mood ring every day. Wanna see?"

Before Santana had a chance to respond, Quinn lifted her top and pulled her pants down just enough to reveal the bluish-green colored bruise on her hip-bone.

"Sick," Santana said, wrinkling up her nose at the sight of it.

"Right? I have one on my shoulder, too."

"That's super attractive."

"Hey, don't knock it," Quinn said, lowering her voice. "Puck's been waiting on me hand and foot since I came home Tuesday morning."

"As he should."

"How was your paper?"

"Probably being torn up by my advisor as we speak. He's such a fucking prick just because he has a PhD, but he's the best in the department so I guess I'm kinda lucky."

"Have you started looking for jobs yet?"

"Kinda, sorta, not really. Basically, I know we're moving back here just before Christmas so I thought I'd start looking over break at schools around here or maybe in New York…I don't know."

"What if I told you I could get you an interview?"

"Really? Where?"

"This is completely on the DL, but the social worker at McKinley is leaving and they haven't posted the job yet but Emma said they'd start looking soon. She and Will and I would all put in a good word for you. I bet you'd be sure to get the job."

"Yeah, except that Figgins hates me. I certainly wasn't his favorite student to deal with."

"Screw Figgins."

"I haven't been into guys in a while, but if you think it would help…"

"Ew," Quinn said. "No, I didn't mean literally. That's sick. Now I have all of these images in my head."

"Sorry," Santana replied. "Do you actually think I have a shot at it?"

"I'd say it's worth a try to at least apply for it. Even if you get the job and you want to keep looking for something better, at least it would be a job, right?"

"True. Alright, send me whatever info you get on how and when to apply. At least it will get my parents off of my back."

"Are you moving back in with them when you move back?"

"Fuck no. Britt and I have lived on our own for the past five and a half years. I'm not going back to live in one bedroom. I think we're going apartment hunting tomorrow."

"The old apartment complex we stayed in was actually pretty nice. We never had any problem with sketchy people or anything and they let you have cats."

"Lord Tubbington will be pleased to hear that when Brittney tells him. I'll look into it. So no Christmas shopping for you this morning?"

"No. I value sleep too much right now."

"Do you guys do the whole Chrismukkah thing?"

"Not really, I mean, we don't combine them. We do Hanukkah with his mom and sister and we do Christmas with my mom and sister."

"What's the latest thing Beth wants for Christmas?"

"A puppy," Quinn sighed. "She's wanted one for awhile and even though our apartment allowed it, we didn't think it would be fair if they didn't have a yard to run around in."

"So this year is the lucky year?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"What kind of dog are you thinking of getting?"

"That's what Puck and I are trying to decide right now. He doesn't want anything that is too girly and I don't want anything that is huge and sheds. I don't want to be cleaning dog hair off of anything and everything."

"She doesn't want a cat at all?" Santana asked.

"Puck and I are both allergic to cats so I think that's pretty much out of the question. Right now, I think a Jack Russell terrier is near the top of our list."

"Well, whatever you decide on, I'm sure Beth will take care of it for a week and then make you guys do everything."

"True. I already feel bad because we're pawning it off on my mom for a week when we go on vacation."

"Are you seeing your dad at all around Christmas this year?"

"Probably. We'll probably get together for dinner at some point during the next month or so."

"It surprises me that he never got remarried. I mean, who cooks and cleans for him?"

"He cooks or orders out or whatever and he has someone come in to clean his house once every two weeks."

"Does he at least get Beth good Christmas presents?"

"Yeah and he sends her a check every year for her birthday."

"Does she ever ask why your mom and dad aren't together?"

"Not yet, but frankly I'm dreading that day. What am I going to tell her? Sorry Beth, Grandma and Grandpa aren't together because he cheated on her and, oh by the way, he also kicked me out of the house when I was pregnant with you?"

"Have fun with that one. So are we just going to sit around all day?"

"Actually, Puck's sister gave me a gift certificate for a mani-pedi so I was going to call her to see if she wanted to go. Wanna come with?"

"Absolutely, I chewed off all of my nails finishing up that damn paper."

Quinn was ecstatic to be able to spend time with Santana. Sure, Puck was her best friend and he knew every single thing about her in a way no one else did but it was nice to hang out with one of her best girlfriends. If someone had told her sophomore year of high school that they would be as close as they were in the present day Quinn would have never believed them since she had Santana had been at each other's throats over Puck but that was before she and Brittney started dating and their friendship was restored. Now it was rare that a week went by that the two of them didn't talk on the phone or shoot each other an email.

Later that night, everyone had come over to Quinn and Puck's for dinner. They decided to order in so that Quinn didn't have to do any of the cooking. Some of the guys brought their guitars and they played random parts of their favorite songs. It was the first time everyone had been together since Quinn and Puck's wedding and that had been sort of a crazy day and not everyone got the chance to talk. While everyone was finishing up their dessert, Puck cleared his throat and stood up.

"Hey everybody, before you all start to leave, Quinn and I wanted to say thanks for coming out. It was great to get together again and even if we can only do it once every year or once every other year, I think it's important. This week put a lot of things into perspective for me," he said, placing a hand on Quinn's shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. "It reminded me how important my family is and…you're all part of my family and in the spirit of the season, I'll be corny and say that I'm thankful that we could all get together like this."

"Here, here," Mr. Schue agreed, raising his cup and the others followed suit.

"Now you all better finish this food because we don't want it taking up space in our fridge!" Puck joke and sat back down, leaning over to give Quinn a light kiss on her cheek.

"I'm thankful for you, too," she whispered back to him with a smile.

**Please review :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Welcome to Chapter Six! I know it's been awhile but hopefully I'm back in the swing of things once again! I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Xoxo- Katie**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. **

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Rachel asked skeptically as she looked out the car window at the dive bar they pulled up to.

"Yeah," Quinn replied, checking the GPS one more time before switching it off and putting it away in the center console. "This is the name Puck gave me."

Puck and Finn had talked for months about how they missed playing together in glee club until one of them finally suggested that they try to start up a small band with a couple of the guys Finn worked with. They practiced a couple of nights a week in a garage at the construction company until they landed their first gig at the dive bar Quinn and Rachel were parked in front of.

Quinn was happy to see Puck getting back into his music a little more now. Sure, they had the small studio in the basement, but she knew her husband missed entertaining. Even when they were in college Puck would occasionally play at coffeehouses or the OSU student union. Ever since he recorded the song for her birthday, Quinn knew he was itching for a chance to perform again.

"Look, there's Puck's truck," the blonde pointed out as she exited her car and nodded in the general direction so she didn't have to take her hands out of her pockets. "Can we please go inside? I'm freezing."

The pair walked inside of the dimly lit bar to kind it filled with a crowd much rougher looking than the one they usually hung out with. Needless to say, Rachel and Quinn stuck out like a sore thumb. Most of the guys were either bikers complete with a leather-clad chick on their arm or hillbilly looking with a trucker hat and a Budweiser t-shirt on.

"Let's get a drink and grab a seat," Rachel suggested, steering Quinn in the direction of the bar. She ordered a vodka club soda for herself and an iced tea for her companion and carried them over to an empty table. "Wait! You can't sit down yet!"

"Why not?" Quinn asked, completely confused.

"Because I haven't had a chance to sanitize it yet. Have you seen this place? It's probably crawling with all sorts of germs and bacteria. Do you really want to expose your baby to that?"

"No."

Rachel was already pulling out an anti-bacterial hand wipe before Quinn could finish her sentence. She didn't stop at wiping down the table but continued on to both of the chairs as well. Satisfied at last that everything was sufficiently disinfected she pulled out two more wipes, one for herself and one for Quinn who looked at it incredulously.

"Seriously?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "You just cleaned everything. People are starting to stare."

"So what? Better safe than sorry, right?"

Rolling her eyes, Quinn tore open the package and cleaned her hands, tossing the wipe into a nearby trashcan and easing herself down into her chair. She clanked around for any sign of her husband and found none until the tattooed bartender climbed onto the small stage.

"Yeah, okay so we got a live band here tonight. They're from here in this hellhole called Lima, Ohio. So give it up for the Vandals."

Quinn nearly snorted when she heard the band name they had come up with, a nod to the time their sophomore year of high school when they "vandalized" Vocal Adrenaline's Range Rovers. The stunt, pure retribution for their choir room being TP'ed, landed the three of them in an in-school suspension. It was her first school punishment since she was the one who drove the getaway car and she was admittedly the one who came up with the idea for their plan. If she hadn't thought of saran wrapping the SUVs, the guys probably would have stuck to their original plan of slashing the tired and that would have landed them in some really hot water, not to mention Puck probably would have been expelled.

Soon enough, the band took to the stage and Puck immediately began to scan the crowd for Quinn. When he found her table he gave her an obvious wink and a smile before stepping up to the microphone.

"Sup everybody," he said. "We're the Vandals and we've got some great stuff coming your way so sit back and enjoy the show."

They played a mix of just about everything from classic rock to modern alternative and everything in between. The crowd was pretty light but they seemed to be into it and Rachel and Quinn were both enjoying themselves more than they thought they would. Unfortunately, that enjoyment was short lived when a guy in a studded leather jacket came up to their table and took a seat.

"Can we help you?" Rachel asked over the music.

"I'd like to buy your friend here a drink," the man replied, smiling at Quinn. "What are ya drinking, sweetheart?"

"I'm not," she said coolly, trying to devote her attention to the stage.

"Oh, DD or something? C'mon beautiful, you can have one."

"No, I can't. I'm pregnant," Quinn motioned to her stomach. "And married."

"Well shit, lemme buy you another iced tea then."

"Did you not hear her say she's married?" Rachel asked.

"I don't see no husband around. What can one drink hurt?"

The sleazy guy inched closer to Quinn and set his arm on the back of her chair, making her feel more than a little uncomfortable. When he moved in, she caught a whiff of strong alcohol on his breath, confirming her suspicion that he was already drunk.

"My husband is in the band. I'm sorry but will you please leave me alone?"

"He seems kinda busy to me. I'm sure he wouldn't notice one drink."

Puck _hadn't_ noticed what was going on at the ladies' table until he saw the creep put his hand on Quinn's arm and watched her pull it back quickly. He seethed when she tried to push her chair back but couldn't because the biker dude's hand held it firmly in place. The final straw was when turned to him with panic in her eyes, causing him to spring into action.

"Get your fucking hands off of her," he growled into the microphone. In the span of mere seconds, he shed his guitar, leapt from the stage and raced over to his wife. He pulled back hard on the guy's shoulder, breaking his grasp on Quinn's arm and wedged himself in between them.

"What the hell's your problem man?" Puck asked, getting close to the man's face.

"I got a problem with you putting your hands on me like that," he replied with a shove to Puck's chest.

"That's funny because I got a problem with you putting your hands on other guy's wives, especially mine."

Before he knew it, Puck let his fist fly, slamming it into the creep's face before being dealt a blow of his own to the left eye. Although he tried to retaliate, he found himself being pulled back by Finn but still tried to lunge forward at the guy who was also being detained by a friend.

"What the hell's goin' on here?" the owner of the bar asked.

"This punk ass kid ducker punched me," the biker said, nursing his jaw.

"This creep had his hands all over my wife!"

"It's true!" Rachel chimed in. "She tried numerous times to decline his advances but he persisted!"

"Look," the owner said. "I don't really give two fucks. I don't tolerate fighting in my bar so yous are gonna all have to leave. I'll pay you for the gig, but everyone's gotta get out."

The ride home from the bar was a quiet one for the most part, but Quinn held a tight grip on Puck's hand. She had been a little shaken up by the ordeal and the way the other guy put his hands on her.

"How's your eye?" she ventured softly.

"It's okay," Puck shrugged. "Hurts a little but it was worth it. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a little shaken I guess, as silly as it sounds. I mean, you're the one who got punched, not me."

"Still, that guy…he put his hands on you. I could fucking kill him right now. I don't care how drunk he was, that wasn't right."

"I'm just glad you were there."

"Yeah, but if we didn't play at that shitty dive bar you wouldn't have been there to start with."

"Oh please, do _not_ blame yourself for this. Seeing you guys play was amazing because I could see how much fun you were having. Maybe you just need to choose different venues. I'd really like for Beth to be able to see you play."

"Shit, what are we going to tell her about my eye? You know she's going to ask about it."

"We could tell her that you ran into a door or something like that," Quinn suggested.

"Or we could tell her the truth, or some version of the truth."

"Alright, but we just don't have to go into too much detail."

Because it was a weekend and because the set had ended early, Puck and Quinn were home before Beth's bedtime and she and Sara were surprised to see them come in. They were busy eating popcorn and watching some Disney Channel movie that Beth had seen over twenty times and knew all the lines.

"Mommy, why are you guys home so soon?" Beth asked running up to meet them in the kitchen.

"The show ended a little early tonight, baby," Quinn replied, bending down to hug the girl. "Did you have fun with Aunt Sara tonight? Did you guys paint your dreidels?"

"Yeah! I made mine pink and purple!"

"Ummm whoa what happened to your face?" Sara asked, catching a glimpse of Puck's swollen eye as she followed Beth up the stairs.

"Nothing, what happened to yours, squirt?"

"Daddy! What happened to your eye?" Beth asked.

"It's okay, B-Rex. I just got into a little fight."

"Why?"

"Well," Puck began, crouching down to Beth's level and looking up at Quinn for some approval. When she nodded he continued his story. "There was a guy at my show and he wouldn't stop talking to mommy so he and I got into a fight."

"Why didn't you just take out your gun and shoot him?"

"Because my gun is not a toy. It's only for work and even then I never want to have to use it if I don't have to. Fighting is never something I want to do."

"You need a squirt gun or something," Beth decided.

"Yeah, maybe I do."

"Did you at least win, Daddy?"

"Yes," Quinn spoke up, placing her hands on Puck's shoulders. "He did."

"Good. At least you won!"

Not long after Sara left and Beth went to bed, Quinn came into the family room with a bag of peas in her hand.

"Brought you some peas for your eyes," she said, handing the bag to him and sitting down on the sofa.

"Thanks," Puck replied, taking the bag from her and placing it over his swollen eye. He winced a bit when the cool peas hit his tender skin.

"Does it hurt?"

"Not that bad. Stings more than hurts, actually."

"Remember that time in high school when you and Karofsky got into a fight and he slushied you?"

"Yeah, that was a blast."

"Your mom was pretty ticked off."

"That she was, but I think knowing I did it to protect you kinda made her less pissed. I bet you any money that I get a call from her tonight asking me what happened since I'm sure Sara told her about it."

"I'm sure she probably will," Quinn agreed. "Can I get you anything else?"

"A beer sure would be nice."

"Coming right up."

Making a quick trip to the kitchen, Quinn got the beer Puck asked for and a bottle of water for herself and returned to her spot on the couch next to him.

"Sure you don't want a sip?" he asked. "I'm sure a little one wouldn't hurt."

"I'm sure, although if it was wine that might be a different story," she said. "We need to talk about Beth's Christmas present,"

"Okay," Puck replied after taking a gulp of his beer. "Are we still getting her a p-u-p-p-y?"

"First of all you don't have to spell it out because she's asleep. Second of all, you know she can spell now, right?"

"Well…yeah. Are we still getting one for her?"

"I think so. I think she's old enough to be able to actually help take care of it and if we get it now we can have it broken in and house trained before the baby comes. Otherwise, we'd have to wait for her birthday and that's only two months after the baby gets here."

"Yeah and she'll have a couple of week to hang out with it while you guys are on vacation."

"Now we just have to decide what kind to get. I don't want a huge dog and if we can help it, I don't want one that sheds a lot."

"I'm not cleaning dog hair off of everything."

"Should we look up some on the computer so we have an idea about where we want to start?"

After some extensive googling, the pair decided on a Jack Russell terrier and had even emailed a local pet shop that said they had three puppies at their store. They decided to go that weekend to look them over and to see when they could bring one home.

"Do you think your mom would let us keep it at her house until Christmas? I want to keep it a surprise until Christmas morning if we can."

"I'll ask her. If not, maybe Finn can do it?"

"Finn?" Quinn asked. "I don't know if I trust Finn to take care of a puppy. He'd probably accidentally step on it."

"Well what about your mom?" Puck suggested.

"_My_ mom? There's a reason I never had a dog growing up. My mom hates pets because she thinks all of them are messy."

"We'll figure it out and she'll love it. Wonder what she'll want to name it," he mused.

"If you dare suggest Jack Daniels for our Jack Russell terrier I'm going to punch you in the other eye," Quinn threatened.

"Now why would I do a thing like that? That was the furthest thing from my mind, I was thinking about Jim Beam though, or Sam Adams…"

Puck was laughing even before the pillow came hurling towards him from Quinn's spot on the other end of the couch. He retaliated by tossing it back to her and getting up to make sure she didn't throw it back. By the time he grabbed both of her hands in his she was giggling hysterically.

"You're going to wake up Beth," she laughed.

"Me? You're the one who's laughing like a mad woman," Puck replied, creeping his hands up her sides and tickling lightly.

"No. Puck, seriously. Do _not_ tickle me."

"Why not?" he taunted, not letting up.

"Because I will pee on this couch."

"No you won't, have a little fun."

"Knock it off!" Quinn half whispered-half yelled at him as she reached out to smack him in the stomach just enough to get him to let up before racing to the bathroom.

When she came out Puck knew he was in trouble even before she glared at him and headed upstairs instead of returning to the couch. With a heavy sigh he tossed his bag of pees onto the coffee table and followed her up the stairs to their bedroom and closed the door behind him.

"Quinn, I'm sorry," he said as she took her jewelry off and placed it onto her dresser.

"I asked you to stop," she simply replied.

"I know, but I thought you were kidding."

"I'm pregnant! I don't joke about having to pee! You're just lucky I made it to the bathroom in time."

"Come on, I said I'm sorry," Puck said, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her.

"I know," Quinn sighed, covering his hands with her own, the anger slowly melting away. "It just would have been so embarrassing."

"Why? It's just me. I'm certainly not gonna tell anyone. Sure, it might've been awkward but I wouldn't make fun of you or anything."

"You're adorable."

"Am not."

"This isn't negotiable, Puck. You are, so just deal with it."

"You know, if I remember correctly, the last time I had a black eye you held the bag of peas for me," Puck said.

"I seem to remember that was a very good night for us. I believe it was the night I agreed to date you."

"You fell for my charming brute strength."

"I fell for a little more than that," Quinn teased, leaning back against him.

"You'd lived with me for, what, one and a half whole days? On Friday it was all about doing it on your own. ON Saturday it was all _I'll move in with you but I still want to do it alone._ On Sunday you really started coming around and then on Monday night it was like _Whoa let's make out_."

"It was not!"

"Wasn't it?"

Quinn thought back to that time almost exactly eight years ago when she and Puck started living together. He was right, it hadn't taken her long to realize that she wanted something more to happen between them but, if she was being honest with herself, that might have been due to the fact that she'd always wanted something more. Hindsight is twenty-twenty and Quinn clearly saw all of the mistakes she had made. She should never have dated Finn to begin with and she shouldn't have been so afraid of her feelings for Puck. Pushing her feelings to the side and not talking about them the way she had always been taught only made things worse and did nothing to stifle or suppress them. When she started living with him and began to see what he was really like, it was easy and natural for her to let her guard down.

"A lot more when into it than me just wanting to make out with you," Quinn insisted.

"But that was at least part of it."

"No, if I wanted to make out with you I would have just made out with you that night."

"Oh really?" Puck asked, turning his wife around so she was facing him.

"Mmm really," she replied, reaching up to kiss him. "I think the swelling on your eye is going down a little bit."

"Now I'll just have a super sexy bruise."

"Not nearly as sexy as my seatbelt bruises. They're that really pale yellow-green color now. Almost gone."

"Lemme see," Puck said, reaching for the hem of Quinn's shirt.

"No, you perv!" she squealed, holding it down. "You do _not_ want to inspect my bruises."

"Okay, maybe I have ulterior motives, but I got a black eye for you for the _second_ time in my life. That's gotta count for something."

"Wow, you're really laying the guilt trip on me tonight, aren't you?"

"Only if it's working."

"It might be…"

"C'mon, baby. B-Rex is asleep," Puck tempted, running his hands up and down the sides of Quinn's body and kissing her shoulder. "And you know we're gonna be busy as hell the best few weeks with the holidays coming up."

"That's true," she agreed, giving in a little and tilting her head so that he could kiss her neck. "But."

"No buts," he murmured against her skin. "Why does there have to be a but?"

"Relax, I just want to go over to the bed. Is that oaky with you?"

"More than okay, baby," Puck smirked, working the buttons on his shirt already as he climbed on the bed and hovered over her. "Remind me to get black eyes more often."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
>"Okay Beth, we need to think of something you can get Daddy for Christmas," Quinn said over her shoulder as she pulled out of her mother's driveway.<p>

It was just over two weeks before Christmas, one week before the first night of Hanukkah, and while she had most of her own shopping done and out of the way thanks to a shopping trip with Rachel, she still needed to buy presents for the relatives from Beth. Most of them were easy enough and Beth was still young enough to get away with homemade gifts or ornaments for some people but since Puck had done such a damn good job picking out her birthday present from Beth, Quinn felt like she needed to step up her game a little.

"I already know what I wanna get Daddy," Beth declared.

"You do?"

"Yup. I wanna get him a water gun."

"A water gun?" Quinn repeated incredulously. "Ummm, why do you want to get him a water gun?"

"Because! He said he can't use his real gun in fights so I wanna get him a water gun."

Quinn sighed heavily and was about to tell Beth that Puck would appreciate something more like a tie or a t-shirt but looking back in the rear-view mirror at the look on her daughter's face made her realize that she was wrong. Puck would probably have about ten times more fun with a toy gun than any stupid article of clothing. More than that, it was what Beth _wanted_ to give her daddy and who was she to stop her? One thought did cross her mind.

"B-Bug, water guns are toys for the summer time. How about we get him a Nerf gun because then he can play with it inside."

"Yeah! That's such a good idea!"

Quinn and Beth hit up the toy store next to the mall and fought their way through hoards of people who were practically shoving each other to look for the newest Elmo toy. Quinn was grateful that her daughter was well past that stage and wasn't exactly looking forward to the day when their new baby would discover the wonders of the small furry red puppet. She was glad that Beth took very little time to pick out the gun she wanted. It was smaller than most and green because, as the seven-year-old said, that was Puck's favorite color.

The checkout line snaked through half of the store and Quinn shifted her weight from one foot to the other in an effort to alleviate some of the pain from her back. It had been a long day at school, even her best classes were getting antsy and excited for break which meant their attention spans were close to zero. Not necessarily a good thing considering exams were only a few days away.

"Mommy, this line is taking forever," Beth complained, no doubt tired of being in her uniform all day and hungry as well.

"I know B-Bug, but we just have to wait our turn. Daddy's making us dinner so we can go home and eat as soon as we're done."

She was about to add something more when her phone alerted her that she had a new text message. Handing the Nerf gun to her daughter, she fished the iPhone from her purse and opened the text from Santana.

_Santana: Guess who just owned their dissertation defense? This girl! I'm officially graduating this weekend._

"_That's great,"_ Quinn typed back. _"I can't wait to see you next week!"_

_Santana: I'm getting so fucking wasted tonight! Tell Beth I said hi!_

_Quinn: Have fun!_

"Aunt Tana says _hi_ and that she did really well on a big paper she wrote," Quinn said, sliding the phone back into her purse and inching up in line. "So she and Aunt Britt should be home sometime next week."

"Yay! That's just in time for Christmas and Hanukkah."

"Mmhmm and this time they're staying for good, or at least a little while. However long it is, they'll be living much closer to us now."

It was close to seven by the time the pair got back home and Quinn sent her daughter upstairs right away to stash Puck's present somewhere in her bedroom. After the three of them ate dinner Quinn quizzed Beth on her spelling words before she went to bed. After the normal bedtime routine Puck settled onto the couch to catch the end of whatever basketball game was one while his wife started to grade a set of papers.

"I got a message from Santana today," Quinn said. "She and Britt should be home next week."

"That's awesome," Puck replied. "It'll be nice to have them back. Did she ever hear back from Figgins about that job at school?"

"No, but if she does she'll have an interview over winter break. I hope she gets it. If she's working at McKinley she and I can take over the Cheerios together once Sue retires. That is _if _she ever retires."

"Haha yeah, totally. Oh by the way, my mom called today and asked if you and Beth wanted to come over this weekend to help make stuff for Hanukkah. I said I didn't know what you had planned but that Beth would for sure come over."

"I'm free. I'll go over for a little while but then we have to go look at the puppy."

"Shit that's right. I almost forgot."

"Well put it in your phone so you don't forget. They emailed me back and said that as long as we put a deposit down they can keep it at the store until Christmas Eve for us."

"Oh thank God. Now we don't have to worry about what to do with it for two weeks and I can take my wife out for dinner Saturday night."

"I think I like the sound of that," Quinn said as she put the graded papers into a folder and slid it into her school bag. She got up from her chair and walked over to where Puck lay on the couch. "You wouldn't happen to have room for me on there, too would you?"

"For you, I can make room baby," Puck smiled. He scooted over and opened his arms, inviting her into them and covering them both with a blanket. "This is comfy but I'm totally not changing the channel."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hanukkah fell just two weeks after Thanksgiving that year and Quinn was getting ready to celebrate the first night at her mother-in-law's house. She was happy to see that the cut on her forehead from the car accident had faded and was now easy to cover with makeup. She doubted there would be a permanent scar. A few days after Thanksgiving the LPD had found the person who rear-ended her. As it turned out, he was an older gentleman and Quinn decided not to press any charges against him because his insurance covered the cost of fixing the damage to her car as well as her medical bills. He was issued a ticket for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. Frankly, she was happy that the whole ordeal was over.

She finished up by applying a bit of lip gloss and smoothed her shirt out before slipping into a cardigan. Walking down the hall, she poked her head into Beth's room and saw her daughter working on homework at her desk. She knocked lightly on the door before walking in and standing behind the girl, placing her hands on her shoulders and her chin on her head.

"What are you working on, B-Bug?" she asked.

"My book report. I'm almost done though."

"It's time to go to Nana's house. You can finish when we get back, okay?"

"Yup. Will you read it for me when we get home?" Beth asked as she saved the document on her computer and slid her boots on.

"Of course I will. Let's go before Daddy get grumpy. He's probably sitting in the car waiting for us."  
>The pair walked downstairs and Quinn went into the kitchen to ketch her plate of sufganiyot, or jelly-filled doughnuts, that she had fried up as soon as she got home from school that day. She handed it to Puck as she put on her coat and walked towards the door.<p>

For the first night of Hanukkah everyone gathered at Ruth's house. "Everyone" consisting of Puck, Quinn, Beth, Sara, Aunt Hannah, and Ruth. Puck, being the oldest man in the family lit the candle and said the traditional prayers and then they all ate the dinner Ruth had prepared. Afterwards, Sara, Puck and Beth played with dreidels for chocolate gold coins as the three older women sat at the kitchen table and talked.

"I wish mom were here," Hannah said after taking a sip of her coffee. "I don't like the idea of her spending holidays like this alone now that Dad's gone."

"I know," Ruth agreed. "I've tried to get her to move back down here, especially for the winter and she said she won't have it."

"Maybe she just needs a little bit more time," Quinn suggested. "I mean, it's only been since the spring."

"You're probably right but it worried me that she's got that big house to take care of by herself. And what happens if it snows badly and she's trapped in her driveway and can't get out anywhere. It's just so much to worry about and I don't think she realizes the amount of stress it's putting on me."

"At least she's got friends up there who are probably checking up on her," Puck's aunt pointed out.

"It's not the same. I don't have the peace of mind I need. Look, I'm getting grey hair!"

"That's just because you haven't been to the salon to get your hair dyed this month. You've been going grey since you were forty."

"Shut up, Hannah. Can you blame me?"

"Not with a son like Noah."

"I would defend my husband but that's a valid argument."

"Ruthie, you should have Quinn talk to mom. Pretty sure she likes her more than us right now because she's giving her adorable great-grandchildren."

"I don't know..." the younger woman said hesitantly. "Not sure I want to fall from that status of good grace."

"You don't have to, Quinn," Ruth said.

"No, if you think she'll listen to me I'll give it a go when we visit in a few weeks."

"Noah reminds me of Dad," Hannah observed, motioning over to the trio playing in the family room. "He always used to play with us like that. He sings like him, too."

"I didn't know Puck's grandpa sang," Quinn said.

"Oh yeah," Ruth said. "He was a cantor at our synagogue until they moved up to Wisconsin. That's how Noah started singing. Sure, some of it came from his father, but the talent came from _my_ dad. He and Noah used to sing all the oldies in the workshop when he was growing up."

"No wonder Puck loves music so much. He grew up around it."

"Does anyone in your family sing, Quinn?"

"Just me as far as I know. My grandparents weren't around by the time I was born and I know my mom doesn't sing at all. My dad might have but if he did I never heard him. Dancing and Cheerleading were the major things in our family. My mom thought being in Glee club was a waste of time and that it was taking my focus away from the Cheerios. But Glee was the best thing I could have ever done."

"Mmmhmmm," Ruth nodded. "Same for Noah. I have to admit when he said he was joining the _glee_ club I thought he was joking with me. Then, I found out why he joined but it turned out to be the best thing for him."

"Are you talking about me?" Puck called from the family room.

"Yes, so stop listening." Quinn replied.

"You got it, baby."

"See, Ruth," Hanna pointed out. "Noah listens to Quinn, maybe Mom will, too."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Quinn and Beth waited outside the door to Santana and Brittany's new apartment just a few days before Christmas. The little girl was ecstatic to see two of her favorite people who had just moved back from California the day before. Quinn carried with her a Christmas/housewarming gift all-in-one, something she was sure they wouldn't have time to get before the holiday.

"Hey!" Santana said, opening the door with a huge smile on her face. "I'm sorry, the apartment is a warzone. Britt already lost Lord Tubbington II somewhere in here and we're trying to figure out where to put all of our shit, I mean stuff. Sorry Bee."

"It's okay, my Daddy says worse."

"What's in the box?" Brittany asked, coming into the room and giving out hugs.

"Just a little present I thought you guys might need," Quinn replied.

Santana started to unwrap the paper on the long, rectangular box and Brittany stuck the bow onto Beth's head.

"It's a little Christmas tree," Santana said, opening the box. "Thank God it's pre-lit. We don't have one yet and it's the perfect size. Thanks, Q."

"You're welcome. Beth has some ornaments in her bag that you guys can decorate it with. I just figured you might not have a lot of time before Christmas to go out and get one."

"You'd be right about that," Brittany nodded. "I just hope Santana can find us now that we're back in Lima. I'm also super worried because we don't have a fireplace."

"Didn't you see the Santa Claus?" Beth asked. "Santa's magic. He can come in any way he wants to."

"You're right. I almost forgot about that."

"B-Bug, why don't you and Aunt Britt start putting the tree up? Aunt Tana and I have something we need to talk about."

Santana and Quinn walked into the kitchen and the Latina cleared a spot at the kitchen table for her friend before pulling two mugs out of a box on the kitchen counter.

"Chai latte?" she asked, popping a tea pod into her one-cup coffee maker.

"Absolutely," Quinn agreed. "So have you heard back from Figgins about the social worker position?"

"No and I sent my application and resume in almost a week ago. Have you heard anything?"

"No, but they might be waiting to call about interview sometimes after Christmas but I'm really not  
>sure. I just know they haven't already filled the position and they haven't interviewed anyone yet. At least that's what Emma told me."<p>

"Well that's a relief, I guess," Santana said, handing the cup of tea over to Quinn.

"Thanks. Honestly, I still think you're a shoe-in for the position. You've got incredible references, you're incredibly smart, and Figgins is too afraid of you to not give you the job."

"True dat. If he doesn't give me an interview Auntie Snix is gonna come back to town on the Bitch Town Express."

"Oh Lord," Quinn laughed. "He wouldn't know what hit him."

"He'd be in for a rude awakening. I just want to get a job and start working. Britt's already talked to Rachel about teaching dance at her studio once it opens and she's working at the animal shelter. I just don't want to feel useless."

"You're not useless. You have a Masters Degree. You _just_ graduated a week ago. You should enjoy a break while you can."

"I know, I know. When do you guys leave for Wisconsin?"

"We're leaving the day after Christmas and coming back two days after New Year's as long as the weather cooperates."

"What do you do up there in the winter for an entire week?"

"Relax, mostly. Although this year Puck and I are going to start making renovations to our little cabin. It needs some new furniture and we couldn't change anything when his grandpa was still alive because we were just renting it whenever we stayed there but now that it's ours we can make some changes. Puck was talking about putting an addition onto the back of it."

"By himself?"

"No, God I hope not. Puck's handy but we don't really have the time to go up there and do it ourselves. We need at least one more bedroom, maybe two."

"Already planning for another one, Q?"

"Not exactly," Quinn said, affectionately rubbing her baby bump. "But if we ever want to have friends come and stay with us we could use the extra space."

"Oh you mean us?" Santana asked. "What is vacation? I don't think I've had a real break from school since the summer between undergrad and grad school when Britt and I went to Mexico for a week."

"It really is great and relaxing up there. It's so nice in the summer to just lie out on the beach."

"Stop talking about nice weather. You're making me regret moving back to the land of ice and snow."

"Come on, it's not _so_ bad here, is it?" Quinn asked, setting down her cup.

"Aunt Tana, look!" Beth exclaimed from the other side of the room where she and Brittany had set up and turned on the tree. "Aunt Britt and I finished your tree!"

"You're right, Quinn," Santana said, standing up with a smile on her face to inspect the Christmas tree. "It's not bad at all."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Puck woke up early on Christmas morning, not really because he wanted to, but because he had to. It was his job to go over to his mom's house to pick up the puppy that he had Quinn had bought the day before. Since Beth woke up at the ass-crack of dawn on Christmas morning, that meant that Puck had to be up even earlier. He carefully climbed out of bed, trying hard not to wake up Quinn as he made his way to the bathroom. He showered quickly and dressed himself in a red and green plaid shirt and a pair of jeans, completing the look with his black boots. Just as he was putting his keys into his pocket his wife stirred in the bed and sat up.

"What time is it?" she asked, her voice still thick with sleep.

"Fucking early," Puck replied, walking over to her. "Go back to bed, baby. I'm going to get the puppy."

"I should probably get up and start making breakfast."

"No. You should sleep for as long as you can and rest up. It's important for you and the little guy."

"Or girl. I can take a nap later today."

"At least stay in bed then. If you get up and start moving around B-Rex is gonna hear you and wake up, too and then she'll wonder where I am and the whole Santa thing will go to hell."

"Okay, fine," Quinn conceded, lying back down and glancing over at her alarm clock. "It's only 4:30? Jesus, Puck I thought it was almost seven. Is your mom even going to be awake?"

"Yup, but she's working. She took someone's Christmas Eve midnight shift for them. It's not like it's a big deal for her anyway. She'll just come home and sleep all day and Sara's supposed to be going to her dumbass boyfriend's house for lunch with his family or whatever."

"Well you go get that puppy and then get back here. I want some Christmas morning cuddles."

"Yes, ma'am," Puck said, saluting her in the process before bending down to kiss her. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Ruth's house was only about five minutes away from Quinn and Puck's home but there was a light dusting of snow on the roads and so Puck was extra careful. No one wanted to get into a car accident on Christmas Day. He let himself into the house, trying to be quiet because he knew his sister was sleeping upstairs. As soon as the puppy saw him he started to bark, if you could even call the high pitched "yipping" sound a bark. The dog was about as intimidating as a teddy bear.

"Come on fella," Puck said, lifting the small cage off the floor. "Time to get you home."

He quickly scribbled a note of thanks to his mom and Sara for watching the puppy overnight and then grabbed the bag of supplies that had been left there as well. Carefully setting the cage into the backseat, Puck climbed into the front and began to drive home making sure to take it easy going around the corners. He was relieved that there were no signs of Beth when he walked briskly into the house and down to the basement with the puppy, praying that he wouldn't make and noise. He set the cage down and got the puppy food and his dish out of the bag and set it inside the cage along with a small bowl of water.

"Okay little guy, just sit tight down here for a little while until Beth wakes up. We'll be back soon."

Puck wasn't exactly surprised to find that Quinn had fallen back to sleep after he left. Not only was she a little more tired than usual due to the pregnancy, but they had also gone to bed pretty late the previous night after going to midnight mass with her mom and sister. In addition to that they had to put out all of Beth's presents when they got her home and into bed before they could even think about going to sleep themselves. Kicking off his boots he crawled back under the covers on his side of the bed and scooted in close behind his wife, pressing a kiss to the back of her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"That was fast," she mumbled and leaned back into him.

"Well I had the promise of cuddles waiting for me so I made my trip a speedy one."

"How is the puppy?"

"Alive, so that's a plus. I put him downstairs and made sure the box telling Beth to go down and look for him was way in the back under the tree."

"Good, you're the best, Puck."

"I try. Now we just have to sit and wait for Beth to come running in here. You know she's going to."

"Mmmhmm, she does every year. I'm going to make you guys waffles this morning. I'm so glad we did Christmas with my mom last night. That way we can just spend the whole day together and I can pack later tonight."

"Yeah and I get to watch basketball. This whole Christmas thing isn't half bad."

"I'm really proud of you for not falling asleep in church last night," Quinn joked. "My baby's growing up."

"There were trumpets and stuff this year. It made it hard to even try this year!" Puck replied. "And I figured if Beth is old enough to stay awake, then so am I."

Quinn took Puck's hand and moved it across her belly until it rested over the spot where their baby was moving around. She stayed quiet for a little while and held it there, relishing in the moment until Puck started to trace little patterns there.

"Baby's been really active this morning. They must know it's Christmas."

"I don't know how you sleep through that."

"Sometimes I don't. Sometimes if they're kicking me in the ribs I can't sleep so I just wait until they get tired or change positions."

"All the more reason why you need all the rest you can get, whenever you can get it."

Before long the door to their bedroom creaked open and a little head popped around the corner.

"Mommy? Daddy? Are you awake?" a small, quiet voice asked.

"Yes, B-Bug," Quinn replied. "We're awake."

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Beth exclaimed, taking a running leap onto the bed.

"Ooof, B-Rex be careful," Puck laughed. "Did you check to see if Santa came yet?"

"No, I wanted to wait for you guys! Can we open presents? Please?"

"Of course," her mother said, sitting up. "You and daddy can go downstairs and get ready and then I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Okay, c'mon Daddy!"

Beth pulled her dad up and out of the bed, tugging him downstairs. Once they left the room, Quinn pushed herself up and left the bed. She walked into the bathroom, brushed her hair and surveyed her reflection in the mirror. Her hair still looked decent since she had fixed it the night before when they went to church. Quinn smoothed her Christmas t-shirt down over her belly and readjusted her matching sleep pants before brushing her teeth and heading downstairs to find her husband and daughter sitting around the tree distributing all of the presents.

"Mommy, your pile is over there," Beth said, pointing to a small stack next to a chair.

"Thank you, baby," Quinn replied, easing herself down into the chair.

"Who should start?" Puck asked.

"I want Mommy to go first and then you and then me!"

"Our daughter has spoken. The little one is from me, baby."

Quinn picked up the small gift and carefully unwrapped it to reveal a light teal box with the familiar _Tiffany & Co. _etched into it in silver. Opening the box, she found a thin silver bracelet, unlike any she had ever seen before. It was different from all of the chunky linked Tiffany's bracelets that were popular among young women her age. It was solid and the one end curved to hook into a small metal loop on the other end.

"Puck, it's beautiful," Quinn said, picking it up and placing it on her wrist.

"You really like it? The guy at the jewelry store said it was vintage from the 1940s."

"I love t. You must have spent a fortune on it."

"Don't worry about how much I spent on it. You're worth it."

"Well thank you."

"It's Daddy's turn to open my gift for him!"

"Did you wrap this all by yourself?" Puck asked, picking up the package and tearing at the paper to show the Nerf gun. "Whoa I Nerf gun? No way, B-Rex."

"It's so you can shoot stuff when you're not at work. I have one, too so I can practice with you."

"And you guys are going to practice downstairs in the basement, right?" Quinn reminded her.

"Right," the father and daughter replied in unison.

Quinn, Puck and Beth took turns opening the last of their gifts until there was nothing left except for the small box Puck had hidden at the very back of the tree. He told his daughter to go look for it and turned the camera on his phone on to watch her reaction.

"Go downstairs?" Beth asked curiously. "Why do I have to go downstairs? That's a weird present."

"You should do what Santa tells you to do," Quinn said. "We'll come with you."

The seven-year-old made her way downstairs with her parents in tow.

The seven-year-old made her way downstairs with her parents in tow. Quinn reached out and grabbed Puck's hand, unable to contain her impending excitement. They got to the bottom of the steps and Beth turned on the light switch and squinted a bit against the harsh bright lights. Her attention was soon drawn to the little crate on the floor with the bow on top and she quickly got down on her knees.

"No way!" she squealed with delight. "A puppy?! I got a puppy! Can I take it out?"

"Of course," Quinn smiled. "Santa brought it for you. He's all yours."

"This is so awesome!"

Beth took the puppy out of the carrier and it immediately leapt into her lap and started to lick her face.

"I'd say she likes it," Puck whispered to his wife who nodded and leaned against him.

"I think you're right."

"What are you gonna name him B-Rex?"

"Ummm Jax!" Beth exclaimed.

"Jax?" Quinn asked. "How'd you come up with that so fast?"

"Well it's kinda like Jack but cooler because it has an 'x' on it. Can Jax come upstairs with us?"

"Yeah, but we gotta make sure he doesn't chew on anything. Puppies love to chew on stuff."

Because they had spent Christmas Eve with Quinn's family the night before, the three of them were able to spend the rest of the day playing with the new puppy and enjoying the gifts they had received. Some years, Christmas was a little more hectic than others if it fell during Hanukkah but this year they had not plans until that evening when Finn and Rachel were supposed to come over for dinner and a movie.

Quinn was quite proud of herself for practically orchestrating the reunion between Finn and Rachel. Sure, with both of them back in Lima there was a chance that they would have eventually found their way back together, but by encouraging Rachel to start her own studio and suggesting that Finn help her with it she was sure she hastened the process, at least somewhat. What was important was that they both seemed happy and Rachel was coming out of the slump she had been stuck in since leaving New York. She wouldn't be surprised if they were planning a wedding around this time next year. All of this just made Quinn believe even more that some things, and some people, were just meant to be.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two days after Christmas the Puckerman Family packed up, asked Finn and Rachel to watch Jax and headed up north to Wisconsin. As hard as it was to get up early in the morning, Quinn was still excited about going because they hadn't seen Puck's grandmother since the summer.

"Wake up," she said, nudging her husband when her alarm went off. Puck merely grunted at her in response until she reached over and started shaking his shoulder.

"Alright, I'm up," he grumbled, sitting up and stretching. "I feel like I just fell asleep."

Quinn got up and walked into their master bathroom, leaving the door open as she began to pull her short hair into a pony tail. She'd save putting her makeup on for the car ride. "That's probably because you tossed and turned for a few hours before actually sleeping. You know how you are the night before we go anywhere."

"Yeah," Puck replied, turning on the tap and splashing his face with cold water before he started brushing his teeth.

After dressing quickly and putting the last of her toiletries into the suitcase, Quinn let Puck know that it was ready to be loaded into the SUV and went to make sure Beth was up and getting dressed. They were on the road on schedule just a little past five-thirty and met up with Ruth and Sara a few hours later in Indiana. Fortunately, the weather was in their favor for most of the trip and they only ran into light snow when they crossed the border between Illinois and Wisconsin.

The trip was easier now that Beth was older and could keep herself occupied watching movies or reading in the car. Sometimes she and Puck would sing along loudly to whatever playlist was on at the time. It was nice and Quinn didn't feel quite as bad anymore when she drifted off to sleep every so often.

Before they drove down the road to their own cabin, Puck, Quinn and Beth stopped first at his grandma's house to let her know they had arrived. Esther was excited to see them and kept Beth back with her to finish making some cookies and hot chocolate while Quinn and Puck drove further down the snow covered dirt road to their cabin so they could unpack as quickly as possible. In typical fashion, Esther had opened up their cabin the day before to air it out and turned the heat on that morning so that it wasn't freezing when they arrived.

"God bless your grandma," Quinn sighed, sinking onto their soft feather top mattress once she had finished unpacking.

"I know, right?" Puck replied, plopping down beside her.

"I really shouldn't have lain down though because now I might not get back up for a little while."

"Well that's okay. Beth's fine with Bubbe for now. I'm sure they're catching up and she's getting an earful about Jax and school and everything like that."

"Mmmhmmm," Quinn agreed, rolling over and settling herself against her husband's chest. "How tired are you?"

"Eh, pretty tired."

"So…let's just take a short nap. I'll send your sister a text to let her know and then I'll set my alarm for thirty minutes."

"That idea sounds like an awesome idea."

"See? Aren't you glad you married me?"

"Every single day," Puck grinned, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Quinn poured herself a cup of tea and sat down on the opposite end of the couch, across from Esther. They were both looking out the large picture window the overlooked the back yard. Puck, Beth, and Ruth were busy making a snowman while Sara tied up her laces to skate on the frozen lake. The pair on the couch was quiet for a long time before Esther took a sip of her tea and spoke.

"Is it your turn to try and convince me to move back to Lima?" she asked.

"Is it that obvious?"

"No, but you're the only one who hasn't tried yet so give me your spiel. Ruth already told me that I shouldn't live by myself. Noah warned me about the dangers of living out here in the wood alone. Hannah mumbled something about gas prices. So what's your angle?"

"You know I never knew my grandparents growing up," Quinn began, shaking her head a bit. "I guess I never really realized what I was missing until Puck brought me up here. I'll never forget that night when we sat up and talked for hours and drank tea and ate ice cream. Maybe it's selfish of me, but I want Beth and this new baby to be able to spend a lot of time with their great-grandmas and I want to be able to see you, too. So, I guess that's my angle. I want you to be close, to live closer to us so you can teach my kids all of the amazing things you taught Puck and I. We'd still come up here in the summer and for vacations, but now you'll be able to come to birthday parties and Hanukkah and Passover and school plays."

"I should have known you'd play the 'grandchildren' card."

"Did it work?"

Esther sighed heavily for show and rolled her eyes. "I suppose it did."

"Seriously?" Quinn asked in disbelief.

"Seriously. _You_ actually made some good points. Now that Leonard is gone, why shouldn't I move closer to my family?"

"Exactly!"

"I'm sure you and Noah might be needing a babysitting every once and a while as well."

"There might come a time when that's needed. Did he tell you what he wants to name it if we have a boy?"

The older woman shook her head.

"We decided to name him Jacob if he's a boy. Puck said it was his grandpa's middle name."

"It was," Esther nodded, smiling. "He was so proud of Noah. So proud that he was a police officer, so proud of his family. Leonard would have approved. Now, what was Noah going on about some apartment?"

"Oh! If you didn't want to live in your own house, or until you find one, the apartment in Ruth's house…well I guess technically it was your house before it was her house…anyway, Puck had remodeled it for us and it's still in perfectly good shape. We could redecorate it again for you."

"I think that could work. I want to thank you, Quinn."

"Thank _me_? For what?"

"For making me stop being so stubborn so that I could see what's really important."

"Well, I've live with your family long enough to know all about how to deal with the stubbornness."

"Noah is by far the worst when it comes to that."

"So do you think you'll start moving your things down now, or wait?"

"Oh, I think now probably. After all, I want to make sure I'm there when my next great-grandbaby is born."

"Beth will be excited to hear you're moving back."

"Should we go tell my daughter that your mission was accomplished?"

"I think they can wait just a little bit longer. It's really cold outside and my tea is still nice and hot. Why let that go to waste?"

"I like the way you think, dear. Cheers to that."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Quinn, are you almost ready?" Puck asked as he tapped lightly on the bathroom door. "We should probably get going soon just to be on the safe side."

"Ready," she replied, opening the door and posing in the doorway. "Do I look okay?"

Puck looked his wife up and down before nodding wordlessly. There was something awesome about the fact that Quinn could still leave him completely speechless after more than eight years. She was wearing an emerald green satin, knee-length dress with cap sleeves and a sweetheart neckline that accentuated her bust line just enough without looking tacky. Her hair was curled perfectly so that it fell just below her chin and above her shoulders.

"You look way better than okay, babe," Puck said truthfully, slipping his arm around her waist. "You look gorgeous."

"Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself, handsome. Anyone ever tell you that you clean up really well?"

"It's been said once or twice."

"It's not snowing yet, is it?"

"No," Puck confirmed, helping Quinn into her coat. "Doesn't look like it's supposed to until tomorrow either, so we should be good tonight."

"When are you going to clue me into what we're going tonight?"

"I'm not. You'll see when we get there. Trust me. I got this."

"Where have I heard those words before?"

"Hmmm, I wonder," Puck mused, leaning in to kiss Quinn.

"You do know I'm already pregnant, right? And you don't have to try to convince me to sleep with you."

"Most of the time."

"Mmmhmmm," she nodded with a giggle. "Most of the time."

"Let's get out of here," he said, taking her hand and leading them out of the cabin. He had shoveled and salted the driveway earlier that day, but he still wanted to make sure Quinn didn't slip on the ice even though she was only wearing kitten heels.

Puck drove carefully into town not because of the slick pavement but also because there was no telling what animals might run out of the woods and onto the road. He pulled up to their favorite restaurant and opened the door for his wife.

"You're really pulling out all of the stops tonight, aren't you?" she grinned, taking his hand and walking inside. He'd made reservations and when they reached their table there was a small bouquet of flowers waiting for Quinn. She picked them up and smelled them before taking off her coat and sitting down.

"You're outdoing yourself, Puck," she said, taking the menu from the waiter.

"Well, tonight is more than just New Year's Eve for us. It's pretty special."

"You're pretty special, too."

"Now who's being cheesy?"

"I still remember the first New Year's Eve we spent together like it was yesterday."

"Yeah?" Puck asked, reaching for the bread basket.

"Absolutely. I remember riding home from Chicago with Mercedes and being so tired from the weekend and thinking that I really didn't want to go to Mike's party. I just wanted to stay home with you because I had missed you so much."

"You did not."

"I did!" Quinn insisted. "I wouldn't have called you in the middle of the night if I didn't miss you."

"Alright, I believe you," Puck conceded. "Proceed."

"_Then_ when I got home I had this feeling, I _knew_ you were up to something. You had this look on your face like the cat that ate the canary and you took my downstairs to show me the apartment. I felt kinda dumb at first, like I should have known your basement wasn't really some asbestos-filled dungeon but I barely spent much time outside of your bedroom at that point so why would I venture into your basement? To say I was shocked is a bit of an understatement. I think I was on the verge of tears the entire time you were showing me around down there. And then we went to dinner and you brought me home and we spent the rest of the night watching the celebration in New York and that's when I decided that I wanted to have a family with you, well…that's when I let myself realize it and we decided we could keep Beth."

"And you told me you loved me," Puck added.

"I did. I was _finally_ able to admit it."

"And _then_ we did some other things."

"That was an incredible night."

"One day maybe I'll be able to take you to New York for it."

"That would be nice, but I'm happy as long as we spend it together."

"Even if it's a cheap motel in the middle of a blizzard?" he asked, recalling their second New Year's Eve together as Quinn nodded.

After dinner, Puck drove them down the street to a small dance hall that had been around since the 1940s. If it had been summer and the weather had been nice, they could have easily made the walk but since there was snow and ice on the ground, driving was necessary. Once they were inside, Puck handed their tickets to the doorman and checked their coats before leading Quinn towards the big band music that was filling that hall.

"This is so cool," she said as they sat down at a small table. "It's like we just stepped back in time."

"Hmmm I thought we were supposed to go ahead one year not back sixty years."

"How did you come up with this one?"

"I have good ideas every now and then," Puck said defensively. "But Bubbe may have mentioned it when I called her around Thanksgiving."

"It's wonderful. I'll have to remember to thank her tomorrow."

"So what do you think? You wanna dance with me?"

"Oh I suppose so, but only because you asked me so nicely."

Puck led Quinn out onto the dance floor that was, to be honest, mostly filled with people who were much older than they were. They started off with a slow song but most of the numbers were upbeat swing and big band numbers. Before midnight, Quinn had kicked off her shoes, half because it was easier to dance barefoot and in part because her feet were sore, but she didn't care. She was having fun with the man she loved more than anything and that's what was important to her.

The band began the countdown to midnight with one minute left to go and everyone stopped dancing and scrambled to get their glasses of champagne to pass out. Puck took one while Quinn reached for her glass of water. The excitement continued to build as the countdown reached the final ten second and he wrapped an arm around her waist as the raised their glasses and exclaimed "Happy New Year!" along with everyone else.

"Happy new Year, baby," Puck said and leaned in to kiss Quinn.

"Happy New Year," she echoed as their lips parted.

They stayed for another half an hour or so until things started to die down before heading back. Beth was staying in the big house with Bubbe, Ruth, and Sara so they had the cabin all to themselves. Puck hung their coats in the closet and pulled out his iPod.

"Do you think you've got enough energy for one more dance?" he asked, holding his hand out to her.

"As long as it's our song," Quinn replied, slipping her hand into his and wrapping her arm around his neck.

"What else would it be?"

Puck pressed play and Quinn rested her head on his shoulder, nuzzling into his neck as the music began to fill the dimly lit room.

_You need a friend  
>I'll be around<br>Don't let this end  
>Before I see you again<br>What can I say to convince you  
>To change your mind of me?<em>

_I'm gonna love you more than anyone  
>I'm gonna hold you closer than before<br>And when I kiss your soul, your body be free  
>I'll be free for you anytime<br>I'm gonna love you more than anyone_

_Look in my eyes, what do you see?  
>Not just the color<br>Look inside of me  
>Tell me all you need and I will try<br>I will try_

_I'm gonna love you more than anyone  
>I'm gonna hold you closer than before<br>And when I kiss your soul, your body'll be free  
>I'll be free for you anytime<br>I'm gonna love you more than anyone_

_Free for you, whenever you need  
>We'll be free together, baby<br>Free together, baby_

_I'm gonna love you more than anyone  
>I'm gonna hold you closer than before<br>And when I kiss your soul, your body'll be free  
>I'll be free for you anytime<br>I'm gonna love you more than anyone_

_I'm gonna love you more than anyone_

It was a song he'd played for her when they first admitted they loved each other. It was the first song they danced to as a married couple and it was the song that they always used to ring in the New Year. It served as a reminder to them of everything they'd been through, of everything that lay ahead of them and everything they meant to each other. It was _their_ song and it defined them in every sense of the word.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Better late than never, right? I just needed a little bit of motivation and keep going with this story and I found it by re-watching some of Season 1. Good times! I'm definitely planning on finishing this story in one or two more chapters, just continue to bear with me. Thanks so much for your patience! I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's a little on the shorter side compared to some of the others but I think I like this length. Xoxo –Katie**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. **

It was well past nine o'clock in the evening when Quinn heard the doorbell ring. Beth had just gone to bed and Puck wasn't due home from his afternoon shift for at least another two hours. Pushing herself out of her chair, she made her way to the door and opened it to reveal Puck's sister who was busy wiping her eyes when Quinn addressed her.

"Sara, is everything okay?" she asked tentatively even though she knew the answer to her question.

"Yeah," Sara sniffled instinctively before shaking her head. A frown tugged at the corner of her lips and tears began to fill her eyes once again. "Can I come in?"

"Of course," Quinn replied. She ushered her sister-in-law inside and shut the door against the harsh January cold and wind.

"I just didn't know where to go," the young woman choked out. "I didn't want to go home yet."

"Sara what's wrong? You're starting to scare me."

"Shane dumped me. We were supposed to go out tonight and instead he broke up with me."

"Oh honey," Quinn sighed, pulling Sara into her arms. She wished she could say she was surprised. Wished that she could say that she wasn't at least a little happy, but the pain she knew Sara felt prevented her from being too relieved that her less than stellar boyfriend was out of the picture.

"I'm sorry for just showing up."

"Don't be. You know you're always welcome here. How about we sit down and you can tell me more about it."

Sara nodded and followed Quinn down into the family room, shrugging off her coat and sinking down into the couch. Quinn took the coat with her into the kitchen as she began to heat up water for tea. There was something about a cup of tea that made any situation better. It was calming, it was soothing, and it was like an internal hug. When the tea was finished she brought it down to Sara with a box of tissues and sat on the opposite end of the couch.

"Alright. I sent your mom a text to let her know you came over here and we were having a girl's night."

"Thanks," Sara said, tracing the rim of her tea cup.

"Start at the beginning. Tell me what happened."

Taking a sip of her tea, Sara began her story.

"He and I were supposed to go one a date tonight and Shane was going to pick me up at my house but then he sent me a text asking if I could come to his place. Fine, whatever. Sometimes he doesn't want to come in and talk to my mom, I get that. So I drove over there and he wasn't even dressed to go anywhere. He had on his sweat pants and a t-shirt was he was like 'we need to talk' and I knew something had to be up because he _hates_ talking. Then he just kinda said it. He was like 'I don't think this is gonna work out between us' and, of course, the first thing out of my mouth is just 'Why?' He said he doesn't think it would work long distance when I go to college so why drag it out any longer anyway. He made it sound like it was my fault that I was leaving and then, he said I should just be with Stevie because we're going to the same college and I'm already emotionally cheating with him."

"He actually said that?" Quinn asked, flabbergasted.

"Oh yeah," Sara replied, taking a moment to blow her nose because she was freely crying now. "He made it sound like he was the one who'd been wronged because I have a guy who's a friend but he seems to forget about all of the Cheerios that he talks to and flirts with on a daily basis. And maybe I'm stupid to cry over him, but I don't know what I'm going to do now."

"You're going to be fine. Maybe not today and maybe not tomorrow, but you will be fine. Better yet, you'll be stronger."

Sara nodded. "I hope so. I just feel like…like there's something wrong with me."

"Listen to me, Sara. There is nothing wrong with you. If Shane doesn't want you to be his girlfriend then he's an idiot. I bet any money that he's not too happy with the way things are going for him. Let's face it, he's not the brightest crayon in the box and he was probably banking on a football scholarship to Ohio State, which he didn't get. Only problem was that you have to have semi-decent grades to get into a Big 10 school, even as an athlete. Puck went to the junior college there so we could be close, but I'm guessing Shane thinks he's too good for that. He's not happy with the way things are going for him so he's trying to get rid of everything that reminds him that he's staying here and, unfortunately, that includes you. You're moving on, you're going away, you're the star of the glee club, and you've got a good shot at being Valedictorian. You out shadowed him and instead of being happy for you, he's jealous and can't stand to be eclipsed. You don't want someone who's going to sulk in your shadow. You want someone who's going to throw on a pair of sunglasses and enjoy the sun with you and be happy for you."

"Kinda like Stevie," Sara said quietly. "Thinking back, he's the one who's been next to me through all of these good moments, not Shane. I just didn't realize it because we've been best friends for so long. Maybe Shane was right. Maybe I have been emotionally cheating on him."

"Shane's not right," Quinn scoffed. "He's jealous."

"True, but I guess I never gave Stevie a chance. I wasn't really attracted to him…until this year, but then I was with Shane. I don't know…our timing has never been right, maybe it never will be."

"You can't wait around for timing to be just right. Sometimes you've got to make your own."

"Is this where you tell me to choose my own destiny?"

"No. This is where I tell you a story."

Quinn took a drink of her tea before she began speaking.

"You know that I've known your brother for most of our lives. We were friends growing up and then in middle school we drifted apart like most girls and boys do. I think it might have been right around the time your dad left but he never really talked about it, he just started acting out and my mom didn't really think it was a good idea for me to hang out with him anymore. That lasted until about freshman year of high school. We started seeing each other more because he was in football and I was a Cheerio. Did I mention he got really good looking, too?"

"Gross," Sara interjected.

"My point is that I started to feel really attracted to him and I know he pretty much felt the same way even though he flirted with just about everyone. There was just one problem, I was dating Finn at the time and I liked the status that gave me. Puck was just that chance that was too good for me to take and I justified it by telling myself that the timing just wasn't right. So, we started sneaking around behind Finn's back. I thought as long as he didn't know about it, everything was fine so I'd sneak out of my house late at night and meet him outside in his truck. I skipped class for the first time ever and I'd meet him in the janitor's closet or behind the bleachers. It started happening more and more often and we kept it pretty innocent and I was okay with it because I was happy. I felt like someone really cared about me and was with me for more than just popularity. It was strangely freeing and that's why, one night after a particularly grueling Cheerios practice and after I felt like Finn just didn't give a damn I called Puck. He came over and for awhile we just talked and then….well, eight months later we got Beth. Even then, I still wouldn't let myself be with him because I thought that telling people Finn was the father would be more acceptable. I hurt a _lot_ of people, your brother the most, and he still never gave up on me and that's how I knew he loved me without question. It doesn't matter if they're there for you during the good times. It's the people who are there for the good but, more importantly, for the bad. It's the people who love you when the rest of the world's turned their back on you, or even if it just seems that way. And that was Puck. He was there for me even when I didn't want him to be. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's never too late to make your own timing and go after what you really want; what really makes you happy."

"But what if Stevie doesn't want to be with me?"

"What if he doesn't? What if he does? Do you really want to wonder what could have been for the rest of your life?"

"I just don't know if I'm ready for another relationship," Sara admitted, biting her lip.

"You may not be," Quinn shrugged. "Not yet anyway, but you need to be honest with yourself. I can't tell you what decision to make but I got lucky. I wasn't too late. You just need to decide what you want, what your heart wants, and go after it."

"Thanks. I need to get my shit together. I had no idea that you dated Finn…I mean, I was really young when you moved in with us, but I just assumed you and Noah were dating."

"Yeah, we dated from the middle of the summer. I still feel terrible about that. I didn't want to hurt anyone, I just wanted to have my cake and eat it, too."

"You guys never liked Shane, did you?"

"No?" Quinn answered honestly. "Especially Puck, but I wasn't going to tell you not to date him because I didn't know him like you did."

"Well, I kind of wish you would have now."

"I know, but you have to live your own experiences. I can't tell you how to live."

"It just sucks, so bad."

"I know," Quinn nodded again. "But like I said, you live and learn and you'll come out all the wiser from this, trust me."

"Thanks," Sara replied, allowing a small, sad smile to cross her lips. "For the tea, but being such a great big sister. I'm really glad you cheated on Finn."

"When you put it that way….no, I _still_ feel bad about it. It's just so strange how everything just fell into place since then. Even now, Finn and Rachel are back together and things just seem right. I just wish I would have hurt less people."

"Speaking of being hurt…my brother's going to want to kill Shane, isn't he?"

"Oh yeah. I'm still trying to figure out how we're going to tell him. Beth's asleep so at least he won't get too loud, but we need to find a way to diffuse the situation quickly."

"We could just not tell him."

"Noooo," Quinn shook her head. "I don't keep secrets from him anymore. I lied enough in high school for a lifetime."

Sara sighed and sunk back into the sofa. "I don't think we have to wait long, I just heard a car door so that's probably him, right?"

"Mmmhmm. This is usually about the time that he gets home. Just let me do the talking. It'll be okay."

"Just make sure you wait to say something until he puts his gun away."

Before Quinn could reply, Puck walked through the back door a look of surprise on his face upon seeing his little sister there so late at night.

"Hey babe," he said, leaning down to give Quinn a quick kiss. "What are you doing here, squirt?"

"Sara came over for a chat," Quinn interjected and Sara nodded. "Why don't you go put your stuff away and we'll fill you in."

"Everything okay?" Puck asked skeptically.

"Yeah," Sara replied. "It's fine."

Puck shrugged and went up to the bedroom to change out of his uniform, grabbing a beer out of the fridge before joining Quinn and Sara in the family room.

"So which one of you is going to tell me what's going on?"

"Sara and Shane broke up," Quinn said, not wanting to beat around the bush.

"It's about damn time you came to your senses," Puck sighed taking a pull from his bottle.

"Shane broke up with me," Sara corrected.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Did he finally realize that you're too good for him or something? I swear to God I'm gonna-."

"Puck calm down. You flipping out isn't going to help matters."

"Maybe not, but no one hurts my family, especially not my little sister. He's dead meat."

Quinn and Sara exchanged glances and rolled their eyes.

"What? I don't mean literally. I can't beat him up or anything because the little shit would probably go to my boss and I'd be out of a job. What I_ can_ do is call in some favors and make his life a living hell. One call and he won't be able to drive anywhere without getting pulled over by a cop for something. Speeding. Rolling through a stop sign. Having a taillight out. Following too closely. You name it, he's gonna get pulled over for it and I think I'll make sure they search his car every time, too."

"You really don't have to do all of that. I just want to get over this," Sara said quietly.

"I know I don't have to, but I'm your brother. This is part of my job and frankly, I'm going to enjoy every minute of it," Puck replied with a smirk as he settled back into his chair.

XXXXX

Quinn walked down the hallway at McKinley and passed her old locker on the way to Santana's office. Sometimes, it was still strange to walk down the halls as a teacher, to pass the choir room, her old classrooms, the janitor's closet especially, and it felt even more strange that she got to see one of her best friends at work every day. She walked into the office where Santana, Emma and two other guidance counselors worked and knocked on the door.

"They finally got your new name plate in," she noted, walking in and easing down in the chair near the desk.

"Yeah, and I _still_ say that Figgy spelled it 'Satan' on purpose."

"Hey, he gave you the job, didn't he?"

"He did but he also told me on my first day that I still scared him."

"Not necessarily a bad thing."

"True. You ready to get out of here, mama?" Santana asked, closing a file folder. "I'm done here for the day and ready to get some decorating on."

"Yup, I'm ready. I ordered us a pizza. Should be ready on our way there."

"Wow, someone's thinking ahead."

"Santana, I'm seven months pregnant. Food is _always_ on my mind."

"Quinn, I'm not even pregnant and food is also always on my mind. You didn't get anything nasty on it did you?"

"Just bacon and anchovies."

"You best be joking because that's nasty."

"I am, calm down. Even I'm not that crazy."

The pair picked up the pizza on the way over to Quinn's house and dug into it before beginning any of the real work in the nursery. Because they still wanted to be surprised and weren't one hundred percent sure if they were having a boy or a girl, Puck had painted it a very neutral shade of yellow to mix with the brown and green of the jungle theme Quinn had picked out.

"So what do we have to do?" Santana asked, finishing off her last piece of pizza.

"Fold some clothes, hang some pictures and decorations and, most importantly, I need some major help with two of the big decal that I want to put on the walls."

"I think we can handle that."

For the next half hour Quinn and Santana set up the nursery, hanging mobiles, and putting some unisex onesies away along with burp rags, blankets and diapers. They managed to get the decals right on the first try and Quinn finished it off by placing a framed picture of her first ultrasound on top of the dresser.

"Damn you," Santana said, looking around at the room.

"What?" Quinn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You make all of this look…fun."

"It _is_ fun."

"No, it's not. Not for Santana Lopez. I'm the bitch, remember? I'm cool Auntie Tana. I spoil your child rotten, get her hopped up on sugar and then hand her back to you. I'm not exactly mother material, right?"

"I don't know…you're really good with Beth. Sure, you spoil her, but she adores you and you're just a natural with her."

"I hate you."

"What did I do?"

"For making me want a baby. I _never_ wanted a baby until you got knocked up again."

"Do you seriously want to have a baby?"

"I don't know. The thought has crossed my mind once or twenty times."

"Have you talked to Brittany about it?"

"Of course. She felt really bad that she can't get me pregnant but we both agreed it would work out best if I was the one to carry the baby. When Rachel's studio opens, Britt's going to teach hip-hop and I can't even get her to take Flintstones vitamins."

"So you guys are pretty much ready to go ahead with it?"

"Yeah, I mean, I think so. We've both got jobs. I've got insurance now and we're as settled as we're ever going to be. A baby just feels like the only thing we're missing. And I want my kid to grow up with your kids and with Finn and Rachel's if they ever have one. We're twenty-five. My opportunity to be a young, trendy, super hot mom is running out."

"San, I think that's great and I think you and Britt would be incredible moms. You've both got so much to offer a child. It would be so cool if our kids grew up together, just like we did. We can do mommy yoga and they'll have playdates, maybe they'll date each other someday!"

"Calm down there, Q. You're betrothing your unborn child to my hypothetical, unconceived child. I don't even have a sperm donor lined up yet."

"Do you have one in mind or are you going to do a random one?"

"Well I was thinking about asking Puck, but then our kids could never date," Santana said and she watched Quinn blanch white. "Jesus Quinn. I was just kidding. We'd probably do the thing where we get to look at profiles and pictures because I don't want some ugly guy to be my sperm donor."

"That doesn't surprise me," Quinn laughed. "And I don't blame you."

"I just want all of this," Santana said, gesturing around. "Britt and I want a family."

"This is so exciting. I'm so happy for you both."

"Thanks, that means a lot. If this happens and I do get pregnant I'm going to bug the shit out of you about stuff, fair warning."

"And I'll help you anyway I can. Lesson one," Quinn said. "No one gets between a pregnant woman and her food. Ever. I think I have some cookie dough in the fridge we can bake up."

"My love affair with good is only bound to increase."

"Think if it as an excuse to eat anything you want."

"I already do that. Come on, that cookie dough is calling to me."

XXXXX

It was the second to last weekend in January when Quinn, Puck, and Sara decided to re-do the basement of Ruth's house so that it would be ready for Esther when she moved back home in early February. Puck was in charge of painting and heavy lifting. Sara was in charge of cleaning the kitchenette and bathroom and Quinn was in charge of redecorating everything. At seven months, there wasn't much else for her to do without being yelled at by Puck to make sure she didn't over do it. It was a little bittersweet to change everything since it was the first place Quinn and Puck had called their own. It was where they brought Beth home and for that reason it was extra special to Quinn.

"Puck," she called, stepping back and folding her hands over her belly as she surveyed her work in the bedroom. "Do you think your grandma will like this? Should I have waited for her to pick it out?"

"It looks good, babe," he said, coming up behind her. "What's not to like about it? Looks like something she'd pick out."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's got flowers and stuff. She'll love it. Come check out the other room."

Quinn followed Puck into the small room that had served as Beth's nursery and bedroom. He was in the process of putting up shelving and assembling a desk to turn it into a cozy office or library.

"I can't believe this used to be Beth's room. I mean, besides the paint color it looks so different. I swear it seems like just yesterday that I was rocking her in the corner over there."

"I know," Puck nodded. "Where the hell did the time go?"

"This little apartment was so perfect for us then. I still can't believe you did all the work yourself. I mean, I can believe it, but the fact that you did it for me, for us, was just so amazing."

"Kinda funny how it's coming full circle. This was Bubbe's house, then Aunt Hannah lived down here, then us, and now my grandma again."

"I'm so glad she's moving back."

XXXXX

"You wanted to see me, Coach?" Quinn asked as she tapped on the door to Sue's office.

"I did. Waddle on over and take a seat," the Cheerios coach replied and tossed her glasses onto her desk. "I wanted to congratulate you again on your JV squad taking the conference title. Looks like your little band of mouth-breathers weren't so bad after all."

"Thanks, is that all?"

"Of course not, I just decided to start off with something nice. As you know, Nationals for my Cheerios will be in Cleveland in two weeks. I want you to come with me."

"You do? Really?" Quinn asked, a little excited about the prospect of going to Nationals again.

"Don't get so excited. I need someone to go with me and act as my liaison. After the debacle of losing last year, I'm not allowed within fifty feet of some of the other coaches and judges. That's where you come in. Who knows, you might even be a good luck charm."

"Thanks coach."

"Do you think you can manage it without your water breaking all over the place?"

"I'm not due until mid-March. I'll be fine."

"You better be. And if you do have your half Jewish baby while we're there I fully expect you to name it Sue, girl or boy. Now get out of my office."

XXXXX

Puck was up early, too fucking early considering it was his day off and it was still dark outside. He climbed out of bed and smirked at Quinn who was still sleeping soundly, wrapped up in one of his flannel shirts. He didn't entirely mind being the first one to hit the shower if it meant his wife got a few more minutes of rest, especially that day. That day they were taking their baby girl out for the day. It was Quinn's idea to do something special for Beth since it might be one of the last times they would go somewhere with just the three of them for at least a little while. The baby would be there in about six weeks and Beth wouldn't be an only child anymore. With all the focus that was already being put on the new addition to their family, the young parents wanted to make sure that their daughter still felt important. They'd agreed that they'd always try to set aside time for their little girl.

Stepping into the shower, Puck adjusted the temperature so it was a little cooler than usual. He didn't want to spend too much time in there and he also needed to find a way to help him wake up. He'd worked until eleven the night before and at some point leaving before eight the following morning seemed like a good idea. He turned off the water and reached out for a towel when he heard Quinn brushing her teeth at the sink. Stepping out of the shower he noted that her eyes were still closed.

"Sleep brushing again?" he joked and kissed her shoulder. "You coulda stayed asleep for a little longer. I can get Beth up and ready."

"Too bright in here," Quinn replied after she rinsed her mouth. "And your baby woke me up by jumping on my bladder."

"Always _my_ baby when they're doing something bad."

"Well they didn't get it from me."

"Uh huh, sure."

"I'm going to shower and get ready. Make sure Beth's up. I can't imagine that she wouldn't be. She could barely fall asleep last night because she's so excited and she doesn't even know where we're going yet."

"What about breakfast?"

"We're going to do the unhealthy thing and let her have McDonald's for breakfast."

"Maybe I'll enjoy this day more than I thought," Puck said.

"You'll enjoy it because you get to spend the day with your two favorite girls," Quinn smiled as she climbed into the shower.

"I'd enjoy it more if I got to start it in the shower with you…"

"Don't tempt me, we don't have time. Go check on Beth. I'll be ready in half an hour."

Of course, _half an hour_ really translated to forty-five minutes and Puck was already packing up some snacks for the day when Quinn came down the stairs wearing a long dark pink sweater, grey leggings and knee-high black boots. She may or may not have planned to match the outfit she had laid out the night before for Beth.

"Sorry, I couldn't find the earrings I wanted to wear in my jewelry box and then I remembered that I had left them on the bathroom counter last night," she said, opening the closet to retrieve coats for the three of them. "You know, pregnancy brain."

"Mommy, where are we going?" Beth asked as she pulled her coat on.

"Mmmm can't tell you. It's still a surprise."

"Daddy, where are we going?"

"Nuh uh. You can't do that, B-Rex. Mommy said it's a surprise and so it's gonna be a surprise."

"But Daddy…." Beth whined and bit her bottom lip. "Please?"

"She gets that from you," Puck said, taking his coat from Quinn before helping her into hers.

After stopping at McDonald's for breakfast, the trio was on their way to the secret destination that was just over an hour and a half away. Luckily the roads were good and there wasn't much traffic on the way from Lima to Columbus and Beth still had no idea where they were headed, though she tried countless times to get her parents to spill the beans on the way to her surprise.

"Do you want me to drop you guys off and park the car?" Puck asked as he turned onto the street.

"If you don't mind. B-Bug, we're almost here."

"Where?!" Beth exclaimed, looking out both sides of the car until she spotted the store they'd be going into. "AMERICAN GIRL PLACE?!"

Quinn smiled at Puck as he pulled up to the building. Climbing out, she opened the door for Beth and helped her out of the SUV before telling Puck they'd wait for him inside. The little girl took hold of her mother's hand and pulled her towards the store. American Girl Place was like a dream world for countless little girls. Designed around the American Girl empire, the store wasn't just a place to buy the dolls but they could also find clothes there, have lunch in the Bistro and participate in events. For months, Beth had been begging her parents for an American Girl doll and with the new baby on the way, Quinn thought it might finally be a good time to let her pick one out.

"Parked in the deck down the street," Puck said, catching up to his wife and daughter. "I'm not paying to have my car valet parked at the American Doll Store."

"It's American _Girl_ Place, Daddy!" Beth corrected him and Quinn snickered lightly.

"Whatever you say, B-Rex."

"I say I wanna pick out my doll!"

"What kind do you want, baby?" Quinn asked.

"I'm not gonna be a baby anymore, Mommy. I'm a big girl and I want a doll that looks just like me, and then I want a pretty dress for her."

Beth picked out a doll that had light brown hair and hazel eyes before picking out a dress and some other accessories for it. As soon as she was finished decking out her doll they were ready to go to tea. To be honest, Puck thought the entire thing was a little ridiculous; having tea with a doll just seemed a little weird to him, but it made Beth happy and this day was all about his baby girl. He knew that no matter how many kids they had, Beth would always be his little girl. Part of him really didn't want her to grow up so fast, he was terrified that one day she'd wake up and decide that she didn't want to cuddle with him on the couch or hold his hand when they walked through the park or a store. He wasn't quite ready to let that go just yet.

Although he wouldn't admit it, Puck drank tea out of a little pink tea cup and ate more of the little cakes they served that he should have and even talked to Beth's doll, who she named Izzy, like she was a real person. It was hard to pull the little girl away from the store but before they knew it they were on their way home and Beth fell asleep clutching Izzy. Puck carried her into the house and Quinn helped her change into her pajamas before kissing her forehead and tucking her into her bed.

"Do you think we spoiled her too much today?" Quinn asked as she leaned back into Puck's arms on the couch.

"Probably, but I think I'm okay with that."

Quinn laughed and shook her head, resting it on her shoulder. "I think the most important thing is that we all spent the day together. No matter how busy or crazy our life gets when the baby gets here I always want to make sure that we have time for Beth and I want her to know that we love her just as much."

"She will," Puck assured her, kissing the side of her forehead. "We'll find ways to include her and once the baby is old enough we can get our moms to watch them so we can still take Beth out for special time."

"I just remember when we first brought her home from the hospital. That first summer that we had together was just incredible. Sure, there were a lot of nights when we didn't get much sleep and there was a lot of trial and error, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I know things are changing but I want to show Beth that change can be good and she shouldn't be afraid of it."

"Change can be awesome. Our lives changed so much when Beth came into our lives and now our lives are changing again but I'm not afraid of it at all this time. I'm really excited about it."

"You have to admit, it's a little bit easier this time around."

"Easy? Do we know how to do anything the easy way?"

"You know what I mean. There's less uncertainty this time. It was a little more planned this time."

"So you planned the conception and everything?"

"Well…not exactly," Quinn conceded. "I mean we talked about being open to more kids after we were married. I wasn't on the pill anymore…"

"It totally happened on the motocycle," Puck said smugly.

"Shut up."

"What? You know it did. The timing was right and that's why this little guy or girl in here is going to be a total badass."

"I still can't believe you talked me into that when we went out for that ride."

"Talk you into it?" Puck asked in disbelief. "You're the one who said riding behind me on the bike was such a turn on."

"It is…" Quinn admitted quietly.

"I'm sorry, could you say that again?"

"I said it is. There, happy?"

"Mmmhmm."

"Don't make me think about it. I'm too tired tonight."

"You're way more badass than you give yourself credit for sometimes, baby."

"Oh I know I am. I just don't always like to show it all the time. You wouldn't be as into it if I acted like that all the time. Admit it, you love feeling like I'm the good little girl you corrupted."

"Let's just call it even and say we corrupted each other."

"What? How did I corrupt you?"

"You chill with the big JC and you love bacon."

"I love you more," Quinn said, craning her neck to kiss him.

"You better," Puck remind, resting his forehead against hers. "Love you, too."

"Never doubt it, especially now."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I'm back…I know this took a long, LONG time to get posted, but I need to finish this story and I will. There are just a few more chapters to complete and I think I can do it. Hopefully this will be worth the wait. Thanks to everyone who is still interested in reading and "Welcome!" to anyone who is just discovering this story for the first time. xo –Katie**

"What do you think?" Rachel asked, turning around and spreading her arms open as she spun around.

"I think it looks great," Quinn nodded.

"Finn's done such and amazing job. It's even better than I dreamed it could be and you _know_ how high my design standards were."

"Oh, I remember. How many times did you change the paint colors on him?"

"Only six," Rachel remembered, looking away. "For this room anyway… but let's not dwell on that."

Quinn merely chuckled under her breath, rolled her eyes and followed Rachel into the next area of the studio. She really couldn't believe that it had all come together so quickly. Finn had started work on it in the fall and now, in mid-February, it was poised for completion by the end of the month. She remembered when she and Puck had first come to look at the space with Rachel and Finn. Even though the spot was a bit run down, Finn deemed that it had good bones, a solid foundation and it wouldn't take much to get it to where it needed to be.

"Remember that one time you didn't want me to ask Finn to help you build a studio?" Quinn asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rachel replied, feigning ignorance.

"You didn't even want to be in my house at the same time as him!"

"Fine. Go ahead and say _I told you so_ if it makes you feel better."

"How about instead of saying _I told you so_ I just say that I'm happy for you guys, because I am. You two are meant to be, it just took a little while. You had to grow up apart before you could come back together."

"When we broke up I think Finn felt like he was holding me back, you know? But it was the exact opposite. Without him in my life I felt like I didn't have a direction to go in. He kept me grounded, he supported me and when he wasn't around I felt lost. I grew up always wanting to be a star, but he was the first person who actually made me feel like one. What's the point of being a star if I don't have anyone to share it with?"

Quinn sniffled and wiped at a stray tear as it slid down her cheek. "Stupid hormones," she mumbled.

"Sorry," Rachel smiled, standing next to her and looking around again. "So what are the guys up to?"

"Puck didn't say, but if I had to wager a guess I'd say it probably involves wings, beer, and sports of some kind."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So what exactly are you looking to get Quinn for Valentine's Day?" Finn asked as the duo strolled into the vintage jewelry store at the mall.

"No clue, but I've got to find two things. One for Valentine's Day and one for her push gift."

"Her push what?"

"Push gift," Puck repeated. "You know, you're supposed to buy the mother of your child a present for popping your kid out."

"I've never heard of that before."

"Then I guess I just saved Future Finn from nights of sleeping on the couch."

Puck smirked and slapped Finn on the back. Truth be told, back before Beth was born he had been clueless about most of that sort of thing. If it wasn't for one of the baby books he read he would have been in the doghouse, too. Not that either of them were really conscious of much of what went on the summer after Beth was born. Since most of his money back then went towards diapers and anything else Beth needed his push gift had been kinda cheap and just a little lame. He took Quinn out for the night to Breadstix and surprised her with a gift certificate to get her nails done, something she hadn't gotten the chance to do since their daughter was born. This time was different. This time they were both older, wiser, and Puck was much more gainfully employed so he knew whatever he decided to get Quinn, it had to be good.

"Are you looking for a ring?" Finn asked.

"Probably not. Maybe a bracelet or earrings."

"All of this stuff is, like, old?"

"No man, it's _vintage_."

"What's the difference?"

"Old stuff is cheap and vintage stuff is usually expensive as hell, but Quinn loves it. She likes the style."

Finn nodded and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his winter vest as he looked around the small store. Puck was busy looking at a mother of pearl and silver bracelet along with some sapphire earrings. He had a strong feeling that the baby would be a boy and so blue earrings would be appropriate. Even if the baby wasn't a boy he figured she would still like them. His suspicion stemmed from the fact that Quinn just _looked_ a little different. She looked a little bigger this time, not that he would _ever_ tell her that, and he was pretty sure that was a sign that she was carrying a big, strong, Puckerman boy. After he purchased his presents and made a significant dent in his bank account he walked over towards Finn.

"You ready to go, bro?" Puck asked.

"What do you think about these?" Finn replied, motioning towards the rings in the case.

"I think those look like engagement rings."

"Yeah," the former quarterback nodded before looking at his friend. "I mean, what do you think about me getting Rachel one...like proposing to her?"

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, why? You don't think it's a good idea?"

"No. It sounds like a good one as long as you're sure about it."

"I think I am. I mean, I know that I wanna spend the rest of my life with her. I figure, why wait? I think we've wasted enough time and, like I said before, Quinn's accident made me really realize that life can change in the blink of an eye. I want Rachel to know that we're forever. I want a family with her and a house and a dog or a cat, maybe both. Do I sound crazy?"

"Yeah," Puck nodded. "But it's a good kind of crazy. It's a kind of crazy I'm all too familiar with, man."

"So I should do it? It's not too sappy to do it on Valentine's Day?"

"Nah, Rachel will love that. You know she will."

XXXXXXX

Puck was feeling pretty pleased with himself as he hung up the phone and slid it back into his back pocket. In the past, he was more of a last minute kind of guy when it came to Valentine's Day, not that the quality of his gifts ever suffered, but this year he was already on top of things. Not only had he picked out the perfect bracelet for Quinn, but he'd just snagged a reservation to one of her favorite restaurants. Dates at Breadstix and whatever campus restaurant they could get in at while Quinn was in college were a thing of the past. This was their _first_ Valentine's Day as a married couple and he wanted to make it a good one, no matter how long they'd been together for. He couldn't wait to go upstairs and tell her the good news.

"So I don't want to ruin _all_ of the surprise, but I just made us dinner reservations for Valentine's Day," Puck said as he waltzed into the family room.

"You can cancel them," Quinn replied, not even looking up from her book.

"What?"

"Cancel them."

"Uhhhh...why?"

"Because I'm not going out to a nice restaurant looking like this," she said, gesturing to her baby bump.

"Like what? You look beautiful."

"Fat, huge, and ugly. I can barely walk down the hallway at school without getting winded."

"We'd be sitting down to eat, I promise."

"I don't want to go out. Almost nothing fits me anymore or I look disgusting in them."

Puck sighed and knelt down next to her. "What can I do to change your mind?"

"You can't. Stop trying to change my mind and be glad you don't have to spend the money that night."

"I want to do something special."

"And I want to stay home. _I'm_ the one who's pregnant. _I'm_ the one carrying _your_ child and _I'm_ the one who's going to have to push it out of my vagina so if I don't want to go out, we're not going out."

"Alright," Puck replied, standing up and holding his hands up in defense. "We're not going out. I'll call and cancel. I was just trying to do something nice."

Quinn sighed and closed her book. "I appreciate it, I just wish you would've asked me first because now I feel like such a bitch."

"You're not a bitch. I get it. You're pregnant, and you're tired and you're right. I should've asked you. We'll stay home and order in whatever you want, okay?"

Quinn nodded and reached for Puck's hand, tugging him down to her so she could kiss him. "Thank you," she said as she pulled away.

"I'm gonna go cancel those reservations. I'll be back."

Quinn sank back down into the couch and sighed. She really didn't mean to make such a huge deal out of it but she just wasn't in the mood to get dressed up and eat at a fine restaurant. Most days she wanted to put on a pair of yoga pants and crawl into bed and stay there until the baby was born. She didn't know how she did it the first time around _while_ being in Glee club at the same time. Quinn did know one thing, though. She needed to find a way to make this up to Puck.

XXXXXX

"Are you excited to spend Valentine's Day with Nana Ruth, Bubbe, and Aunt Sara?" Quinn asked, glancing at Beth in her rearview mirror.

"Yup, we're gonna have more fun than you and daddy," the little girl quipped.

"Oh I believe it. Daddy and I are just going to stay at home and watch TV."

"Aunt Sara and I are gonna do fun stuff and stay up late!"

"Not too late, B-Bug. I don't want you to be a crabby pants tomorrow."

Even though she and Puck didn't have anything planned for the evening, Quinn was happy to let Beth spend the night with her aunt who had "declared war" on Valentine's Day since Shane dumped her the previous month. She hoped that spending the evening with Beth would take her mind off of things and make her feel a little bit better.

She and Beth had been running a few errands that afternoon and Puck hadn't been home from work when they left. Quinn smiled when she saw his truck in the garage as she pulled in and slowly climbed out of her car. With just one month left to go until the baby arrived, Quinn felt like she had to do everything at a slower pace nowadays. It was a big change for someone as busy as she was but she knew if she didn't take it easy she'd be even more exhausted than she already was at the end of the day.

"Puck, I'm home," she called, closing the door and hanging her coat on the hook. She kicked off her shoes and smoothed her t-shirt over her belly.

"In the kitchen," Puck replied.

Quinn followed her nose up to the kitchen and smiled when Puck turned around with an apron over his black t-shirt.

"What's all this?" she asked, trying not to let the mess get to her.

"It's your Valentine's Day present."

"I thought the roses and the chocolate covered bacon you left me this morning were my presents."

"That was only part of it, babe. I know you said you didn't want to go out to eat for Valentine's Day so welcome to Chateau Puckerman. I'm Chef Puck and I'll be making your dinner. It's almost ready so if you'll please wait in the dining room."

"But I'm in yoga pants and a red maternity t-shirt. I'm not dressed for dinner," Quinn pouted.

"At Chateau Puckerman there is no dress code."

"You're too much."

"Just go sit, babe. It'll be ready soon."

Quinn kissed Puck's cheek before walking into the dining room. He had covered the table with a red table cloth and lit a few of her candles. She was so surprised by everything that she had to fight a few tears from falling down her cheek. A few moments later Puck emerged with two plates of food in his hand and placed one in front of her.

"For dinner tonight we have chicken alfredo served with a bacon-wrapped breadstick. Well, yours has bacon around it. Mine's just a breadstick."

Puck disappeared for a moment and re-emerged with champagne flutes. "Don't worry, it's just sparkling white grape juice."

"Puck I don't even know what to say."

"Well, I know you said that you didn't want to go out to eat today but I still wanted us to have a nice dinner."

"Thank you," Quinn said, reaching over to cover his hand with her own.

"You're welcome. Now eat up before the food gets cold."

Quinn enjoyed the dinner Puck had prepared for them, especially the bacon wrapped breadstick. She finished every last bite of food before leaning back and folding her hands over her stomach. Puck had gone back for seconds and while he finished up she was mulling over the possible ways she could thank him and show him how much she appreciated what he had done for her. As he reached for her plate and silverware she stopped him.

"Put the dishes down," Quinn said, pushing herself away from the table and standing up.

"What?" Puck asked, looking confused.

"I said put the dishes down. I want to thank you properly for my presents."

"But you gave me a present, too, baby."

"I know but you did _all_ of this," Quinn said, gesturing with her hands. "And I'm going to thank you."

"And what does this _thank you_ entail?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out. How about you go down to the mancave and wait for me?"

"The mancave?"

Quinn nodded and walked around the table to kiss him. "Now go," she said and waited until she heard the door to the basement close before making her way to their bedroom. Normally, Quinn would have changed into one of her matching sets of lacey lingerie but none of them fit her at the moment, at least not to where she felt comfortable in them. Instead, she had something else in mind that she knew Puck would enjoy. She slipped into a pair of black boy-short panties and went into the closet, rummaging through Puck's side until she found what she was looking for all the way in the back.

_At least it's red_, she thought as she slipped the old high school jersey over her head and pulled it down over her belly, sighing in relief that it actually fit. After re-applying her light pink tinted lip gloss- the kind that tasted like strawberries- she grabbed a beer from the kitchen and continued on to the basement.

"I was beginning to think you left me down here all alone to-" Puck started to say but stopped mid-sentence when he saw his wife standing in front of him. "Holy fuck."

"Is that a good _holy fuck_ or a bad _holy fuck_?" she asked, biting her lip.

"It's a great _holy fuck_."

Puck started to get up from the couch, but Quinn placed a hand on his shoulder, pushing him back ever so slightly. She placed the bottle of beer onto the end table and carefully straddled Puck's lap, holding onto his shoulders for support.

"Hi," she said quietly, letting her hands drift up to the back of his neck.

"Hey baby," Puck smirked, resting his hands on her hips. "Is this part of my thank you?"

Quinn nodded, leaned in as far as she could and kissed him deeply. "Thank you for an incredible Valentine's Day," she murmured against his lips. "Thank you for making me feel special, and beautiful, and loved."

"I just felt bad that you didn't wanna go out but I wanted to celebrate it still just the two of us."

"And now we have the whole rest of the night to ourselves. I wonder what we should do."

"I mean...I can think of one or two things but I don't know if you're feeling up to that…"

"Would I have come down here in just your football jersey and panties if I wasn't?"

"I don't know, you said the other night that you weren't feeling up to it."

"That was the other day," Quinn whispered into Puck's ear, "Tonight, I'm feeling _very_ up for it and I think you are, too."

She smirked as she ground down into his hips and felt him getting hard already. It was true that she really hadn't felt like doing much the past few days, or weeks for that matter, but her moods changed faster than she could blink sometimes and right that second Quinn wanted nothing more than to be with her husband.

"Fuck, Quinn," Puck swore under his breath and traced small patterns up and down her sides.

"Oh I plan on it, tonight is all about us. We have to enjoy it while it lasts right?"

Puck nodded and wrapped his arms around Quinn's back, drawing her as close to him as she could get. She rested her arms on his shoulders and smiled as she trailed a line of kisses from his lightly-stubbled jaw down his neck. Reluctantly, she pulled away from him just enough so that she could work on pulling up his black t-shirt. Once she pulled it over his head she let her hands roam freely up and down his toned chest and abs until she reached the waistband of his jeans. Quinn glanced up and him and smirked before biting her lip and setting her fingers to work unbuckling his belt and unzipping his pants. She dipped her hand lower and grasped Puck's growing erection and stroked it slowly, gliding her thumb over the tip.

"You're already hard," she whispered into his ear, causing him to inhale sharply.

"You came downstairs in that," he replied, motioning towards her outfit. "I was hard before you even climbed onto my lap."

"And what should we do about that?"

"Hmmm I have a few ideas…"

"Care to fill me in on what those ideas are?"

"Yup." Puck let his hands slide over Quinn's ass before slipping them under the black fabric and maneuvering them off of her.

"Oh," Quinn said, gripping his shoulders. "That was fast."

"I'm talented like that, what can I say?"

Quinn chuckled and captured his lips again as she raised herself up and slowly lowered her core down onto his cock, moaning lightly into his mouth. Breaking their kiss she laced their fingers together behind his neck, resting her forearms on his shoulders as she started to move against him. Puck's hands instinctively went to her hips, kneading them as he began to meet her movements. As Quinn's head rolled back he leaned forward to kiss the exposed flesh, eliciting a breathy sigh from his wife's lips.

"You good, baby?" Puck asked.

Quinn nodded wordlessly and caught her breath. "So good. So close already."

"Me too. You got me all hot and bothered earlier."

Puck dropped his hand between their bodies and lightly brushed his fingers over her bundle of nerves a few times, knowing it would be just what she needed to take her over the edge. Quinn moaned his name loudly and crashed their lips together as her release shook through her body and coaxed Puck's to come along with her. Dipping her head to his shoulder she tried to catch her breath as he smoothed his hands up and down her back again.

"_Fuck_," she rasped.

"Is that a good _fuck_ or a bad _fuck_?" Puck chuckled.

"It's a _my whole body feels like a big pool of Jell-O right now_ fuck."

"Oh so it's a _very_ good fuck."

"Mmmhmm," Quinn smiles and lifted her head to kiss him lightly. "So thank you for my present."

"With a thank you like that, you're very welcome."

"Next time I say _no_ to sex in the next couple of weeks remind me how I feel right now."

"And it'll change your mind?"

"Probably not, but it'll be worth a shot."

"Damn," Puck cursed. "Look at you. You can barely keep your eyes open right now."

"You wore me out!"

"I think I need to get you to bed."

Quinn frowned as Puck shifted them so that she was sitting on the couch and he could stand up and dress himself again. Without saying a word he scooped her up and made his way to the stairs.

"Show off," Quinn mumbled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I just figured this would be the fastest, most effective way to get you to the bedroom," he replied, setting her down on the bed.

"Thank you, but I need to put something else on. I'm not sleeping in your jersey."

Quinn lazily pulled herself off the bed and changed into a pair of Puck's old gym shorts and one of his t-shirts that she usually wore to bed before climbing back under the covers and snuggling down next to her husband.

"Are we going to bed? It's only, like, eight o'clock," Puck observed.

"I'm sleepy. I might nap for twenty minutes or I might be out for the night. You can turn on the TV and watch sports or anything you want. Consider it the last part of my present to you."

"Thanks babe."

Puck grabbed the remote from his nightstand and flipped to a station with a basketball game on, turning the volume low before scooting down and settling next to Quinn.

"You asleep yet?" he asked.

"Not yet," she replied groggily.

"Good. I love you."

"Love you, too Noah."

XXXXX


End file.
